


Rapture of the Deep

by Oilux



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, Merman Victor, Victor is a merman, enjoy, mermaid au, yuuri is a marine biologist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2018-12-30 06:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12102972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oilux/pseuds/Oilux
Summary: Victor was living a quiet life in the ocean when the net descended over him, capturing him in thin blue netting and refusing to let go. He managed to free himself, but with injuries preventing him from swimming. What could happen to the merman that humans only just discovered?Yuuri was a marine biologist examining tide pools when he got the call about a merman. Given the choice to be the one to find out more about the merman, Yuuri couldn't pass up the opportunity. Was this all about research, or could something else bloom?





	1. Netting a big one

Humans were exceptionally dangerous, Victor had heard when he was younger. They were the only ones of their kind that hunted outside of their own territory, actually crafting boats to come out to the sea and fish. Their nets were shoddy at best, easy for the merkind to avoid. Victor had never been close to them to actually see what they looked like, but he had seen them in stories, of crude drawings elders did on the seafloor before it was swept away by the current. 

Needlessly cruel to their prey, said one older merman who had been captured when he was young. He showed scars from the memory, along the fins of his arms, and his back. There were patches on his tail where scales would never regrow. He had hated it when people would ask what he had seen, only saying to avoid them at all costs. 

Victor was never one to go near the shore in the first place. What was the point when he still had the whole ocean to explore, a new scene, a new place. Victor wouldn’t say he was happy, but he was content, and every day he moved out a little further, collecting things that no one had seen before, making a new friend. 

He moved out a bit further each day, allowing the soft sand of the ocean floor to wrap around his wrists when he would dig his hands into the sand. Sometimes buried treasure would be waiting for him inside, coins humans lost, shiny beads and jewels that others loved to braid into his hair.

A fish swam past him, quickly enough that Victor glanced after it. Blue marlin weren’t normally seen at this depth, and it was swimming like a shark was on its tail. Victor pulled his hands out of the sand, shaking them lightly to rid the excess. 

The net descended on him so quickly, that Victor didn’t have time to pull away. It scraped along the sand he was just feeling, entrapping him in a thin blue web that he couldn’t get a grip on. He twisted, trying to find the end, but the net tangled around his chest and waist, thankfully not pinning his arms down but sharp enough that the net cut into his skin.

Victor slashed with his claws, determined to not be a tale of what could happen. Already, the net was rising from the ocean floor, towards the surface, and Victor was shredding bits with his nails, feeling that every time he managed to cut himself free a little more, even more net cast around him and refused to let him go. 

The net near him was just breaking the surface when he slashed once more with his claws, finally freeing him from a portion of the net. One of his arms was trapped around his waist, trapped between blue netting and his own skin. The more he struggled, the tighter the netting got around his waist, refusing to let him go.

Victor wanted to apologize to every fish he had ever made fun of for getting caught. The more he struggled, the more it cut into his skin, until he found smell his own blood staining the ocean. Safety, his mind screamed at him, he had to find safety 

The currents helped him move, urging his body close to the shore. Victor had never once been on the ground before, but it came as a relief as he was pushed by waves onto the dark sand of a small cave. The craggy rocks around him threatened to cut him further, but for a moment he was out of the water, bleeding on sand instead of nothing. The small cave offered protection from being out in the sun, it was better than washing up anywhere else. 

Victor didn't try to move at first, allowing his body a moment to catch its breath. His tail moved and twitched out of habit, but only far enough to move and feel the restraints. The sand, normally soft against his skin, felt like thousands of sharp points, digging into his skin and his wounds, making them worse. 

He would get free. Just after a moment of rest. He was so tired. Victor let his eyes close, and he was asleep within seconds.

* * *

Water that had once gently lapped at the shore was beating roughly against the rocks. It wouldn't be long before the small tide pools that showed a realm of creatures wouldn't be visible anymore. Carefully, Yuuri knelt down a bit closer, categorizing each creature he came across. 

Sea fingers came first, almost always hidden among the rocks. When Yuuri moved his pencil to see further into the small cove, he was greeted with squirming tentacles that moved quickly out of the way. That was slightly unusual, octopi weren't typically found in tide pools, but it wasn't unheard of. Yuuri scrawled a note in his pad, categorizing each small creature he came across. 

The sharp ring of his phone nearly sent him falling into the water, but it did get his knee soaked as he readjusted to keep from falling face first. Luckily his knee didn’t go straight into a sea urchin, which was only a couple inches away from piercing his skin.

“Hello?” Yuuri asked, brushing off sand. It always stuck to his skin, impossible to get out. It was a hazard of the job at this point, but still annoying. 

“Yuuri! Oh my god, where are you? You’re not going to believe this, it’s impossible!” Phichit’s voice was so sharp through the phone that Yuuri had to hold it away from his ear. Even a foot away, Phichit came out as clear as a bell.

“What? What’s going on?” Yuuri flipped his notebook closed, capping his pen. The tide was coming in anyways, he wouldn’t have been able to see much more of it. 

“I swear you live in the sea with all your weird creatures! How have you not heard? It’s amazing, someone actually found one, a real, breathing, mermaid! Well, merman.” Phichit was almost blabbering. “It’s all over the news! This is the first time a live one has ever been caught and not just on camera in the middle of the ocean!”

“Phichit, this isn’t a funny prank.” Yuuri rolled his eyes. Phichit let out an indignant squawk, rambling about how he wasn’t making this up. His phone beeped with a news alert, not the first one apparently. Yuuri had been so wrapped up in watching the tidepools that he hadn’t noticed.

_ ‘Injured merman found on the coast of Florida.’ _

_ ‘Florida fisherman finds mermaid on shore.’ _

_ ‘Mermaid found, real or hoax?’ _

So maybe it wasn’t Phichit making things up. Yuuri put the phone back against his ear, not even hearing Phichit draw to take breath as he rapidly explained all that had happened. He was talking so quickly that his words were starting to slur together.

“Phichit, slow down. It’s probably a hoax, I mean remember last year when everyone was so sure that they caught Bigfoot?” Yuuri tried to reason, but he was interested in it as well. A real merman-or mermaid, it seemed like people weren’t sure-could unlock so many mysteries of the deep.

“No, Yuuri, you’re not listening! Okay, so, a guy found the merman in a cove really injured. He won’t let anyone near him enough to bandage it, but they don’t want to just release him back into the water. This could be a wonderful opportunity to study! He’s at Loggerhead Marinelife Center.” Phichit had to take a sudden inhale to compensate for not breathing between sentences. “Before that they were talking about performing a  _ vivisection.” _

“How do you know all this?” Yuuri asked. Sure, they were both studying under Celestino, a recognized marine biologist, but they were just students. 

“Celestino was talking to one of his friends!” Phichit said excitedly. “Listen, so Celestino threatened to go to the media about them just dissecting the merman, and so now they want to study him, and Celestino says you get to be the one!”

“Wait, what?” Yuuri couldn’t have heard that right. The phone must have picked up another call. “You’re joking, I’m just a student, there’s no way you just said that.”

“Yuuri, you’re Celestino’s favorite, and this would make your career! You would get all the firsthand knowledge about mermaids!” Phichit sounded like he dropped his phone in the excitement. “Fuck, my screen’s cracked.”

“Not the first time you’ve done that.” Yuuri muttered. “I can’t do this, Phichit, there’s probably a million more qualified people.”

“Yuuri, if you don’t get your butt in your car and head down to that stupid marine center, I will never speak to you again.” Phichit threatened, his voice deadly serious. “You cannot waste this opportunity, if you don’t do this, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Yuuri took his keys out of his pocket, sliding them into the ignition of the car. On the other end of the line, when Phichit realized he wasn’t going to get a response, he hung up, leaving Yuuri to sit in his car with the ocean for company. 

Phichit was right, this would make his career, he would be set for life, but that wasn't what had Yuuri twisting the keys harshly to make the engine sputter to life. It was one word, that Phichit had briefly mentioned like it was nothing, when really it was everything. He didn't consider himself the best researcher, or the best student, but at the very least he could be the best at protecting a life. 

Yuuri would not allow them to perform a  _ vivisection  _  on a harmless being. 

His small car protested weakly with sputters and groans as he pressed further on the accelerator. It was sixty miles to the Center, just an hour of driving. It was the longest hour of Yuuri’s life. 


	2. Meet the Merman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! Enjoy!

A Hawaiian shirt and shorts was probably not the best thing he could have worn while introducing himself to one of the few people who would allow him access to the merman. Yuuri normally kept a spare set of clothes in the car, but those had been used last week when Phichit decided the ice bucket challenge was still a thing and needed to be done. 

Yuuri didn't have time to go home and change, and he was already worried that the merman was being harmed while he wasn't there. It was worth the embarrassment and skeptical looks when he was taken further into the institute, a large sticker on his chest declaring him a ‘visitor’ until they could get him a proper badge. 

“He's been pretty defensive, we've been trying to figure out what he eats but we're not sure yet. We don't even know if mermaids fall into the predator or prey category.” The woman giving the guide explained. Yuuri nodded, feeling out of place next to her as she led him around. “Maybe you'll be able to find out, he has yet to talk to anyone but the ability to speak is present, as he screamed at one of the interns when he got too close. Poor kid’s still shaken up about it.”

Yuuri nodded, trying to mentally file away what she was saying for later. Socialization might be a lot harder for mermaids than humans, they might not be as aggressively social as they were. The scream was interesting, it might be where the legends of sirens came from, seeing as how it shook the intern so badly. 

“Tom, this is Yuuri.” The woman, Yuuri was suddenly blanking on her name, introduced Yuuri to a twig of a man, with too long arms that didn't look attached to his shoulders. “He's the one Celestino recommended so highly.”

“Nice to meet you.” His reply was short, almost as awkward as his body. “Nice shirt.”

Yuuri felt heat rise in his cheeks, but he only pursed his lips. Tom started leading them, his hair surprisingly steady as they passed through another steel door. The place was a maze of white walls, steel floors, and concrete floors. Yuuri would have easily gotten lost on his own. 

“Here's where he is. Been rather quiet since he scared that intern, no one really wants to go near…”

The door slid open, and Tom let his sentence trail off at the sight. Several people were surrounding a chest high tank, each trying to peer into the water. Some of them held out bits of fish, others held out bandages, and others held out bits of seaweed. They were pressed so tightly against the glass that Yuuri couldn't even catch a glimpse of the water. 

“What are you doing?” Yuuri blurted out before he could stop himself, quite sure he looked a fool in his floral printed shirt and shorts. Everyone turned to him, several dropping their items in shame. “Get away from the tank, crowding isn't going to solve any problems.”

They slowly shuffled back, some sending him glares but most just looking apologetic. Yuuri walked forward, nose crinkling at the scent of fish and chemicals, smells that did not go well together. Tom and the woman, Victoria, Yuuri realized her name was Victoria, followed behind him silently. 

The tank was connected to the wall, about fifteen feet wide and chest height to Yuuri. Not big at all, but it was only meant to be temporary until they could assess damage and move whatever was in it into a bigger tank. Curled up in the corner, as far away from prying hands as he could get, was the merman. Yuuri almost couldn't make out features between a canopy of silver hair that tried to mask his face. The tail was a rich purple in color, curled protectively against the merman’s chest, threatening to lash out if anyone came close. 

From behind silver hair, there was a peek of bright blue eyes, angled cheeks and scales decorating the sharp bones. Yuuri sucked in a sharp breath, understanding how everyone was immediately captivated by the beauty. Features that were so like his own but different in many regards. 

“We know next to nothing about the behavior, habitat, or anything about them. The last thing you're going to do is get answers by rushing him. Imagine being in his situation, I wouldn't be surprised if he thought we were going to poison him.” Yuuri was banking on the possibility that the merman wouldn't understand him, but then again he could be embarrassed later. He caught another glimpse of blue eyes between strands of the silver hair. “How was he hurt?”

“Caught in a net, and by struggling to free himself he has deep lacerations on his waist and left arm.” Victoria answered. Yuuri nodded, mentally filing away that information for later. There wasn't much they could do to wrap wounds that might become infected in the water. The best they could do was keep an eye on them and see if any medicine they had would starve off infections. 

He had absolutely no idea how to even start this. Because of his outburst, everyone was looking at him for direction, and Yuuri had absolutely no idea where to take this. This wasn't like taking a final exam, this was a life being entrusted in his hands. 

“Okay, um.” Yuuri felt words escape him, he had no idea where to even begin. “Everyone who isn’t actually needed in this room, please leave, too many people can be overwhelming and I’m pretty sure most of you have other work.”

A couple people shuffled out, obviously disappointed to be taken away from the new sight of the mermaid. Other people tried to look like they were busy, but only a couple actually did work that needed to be done. Yuuri walked forward, not allowing himself a pause in his words, afraid that if he stopped, even for a moment, he wouldn’t be able to begin again.

“Antiseptic would be something needed, no doubt anatomy is the same as ours, it would be best to make sure those cuts didn’t become infected. Any food that might be possible for him to eat, because we know nothing about their diet-”

Yuuri managed to trip over his own feet, not seeing where he was going, hands barely catching himself from smashing face first into the ground. He wouldn’t have been able to afford a new pair of glasses, and luckily they only slid dangerously close to the end of his nose before he pushed them back. 

“I’m fine.” Yuuri said before anyone could ask, but not bitterly. He knelt before he stood, brushing his bruised knees off and glancing at the tank. 

The mermaid had ventured forward, head barely peeking above the water line and staring at Yuuri. There was no concern, but a little curiosity that made Yuuri want to hide. He had to guess it was just as fascinating to be around humans for the mermaid as it was for Yuuri to be around him.

“Oh.” Yuuri said when the mermaid started to sink back into the water, seeming disappointed Yuuri wasn’t going to do anything else. “I’m Yuuri Katsuki. Can you understand me?”

The hum of the tank was louder than Yuuri’s voice. He must have looked like an idiot, trying to talk to a merman who didn’t seem to care for his existence. The merman dipped his chin and mouth into the water, leaving the top of his head and eyes staring out at Yuuri. His gills fluttered at his neck, taking in oxygen that way.

“I’m not going to hurt you or anything.” Yuuri took a careful step closer to the tank. When the merman didn’t back away, Yuuri took another step forward. There was a warmth on his knee, strange enough to make Yuuri glance down and see blood trickling down his leg. It stung, but he had worse injures on this job and this would be no different.

“You’re not that bright, are you?” 

Yuuri glanced up, ready with a scathing retort-for once in his life-but it died on his lips when he saw the merman, leaning against the edge of his tank, arms folded across the rim. He tilted his head to the side, letting it rest on his folded arms, carefully avoiding the injured one. His voice was a soothing baritone, one that told Yuuri that if he decided to sing, it would be a wonderful thing.

“What?” Yuuri felt like a doddering fool, but it was all he could think to say. The merman continued to stare at him, before one clawed finger gestured at Yuuri’s bleeding knee.

“I think you’re injured there.” The merman didn’t say anything more, looking ready to sink back into the water when another worker came close, handing Yuuri a bandage, which he stuck haphazardly to his knee.

“It’s nothing, a little scrape.” Yuuri took a step closer to the the merman, who moved back a little, but didn’t fall back into the water. “I’m Yuuri.”

The merman didn’t share his own name,  but he did move a little hiding his injuries from Yuuri’s prying eyes. The merman winced a little at the action, but refused to move to show them. Everyone was watching them, something that made Yuuri feel more self conscious than before. 

“Can I see your injuries? I promise I won’t make them worse, I just really need to see them.” Yuuri was within reaching distance of the merman, close enough that either of them could reach out and touch each other. Some people around them inched forward, obviously worried, for Yuuri or the merman Yuuri couldn’t tell, but didn’t interrupt.

“You’re a funny little thing.”  The merman reached with his good hand, grasping the collar of Yuuri’s floral print shirt, dragging him to the edge of the tank. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, or what you’re doing here, do you?”

“I know that you’re injured, and probably scared.” Yuuri held his hands up, trying to look as small as possible. This merman could drag him under the water and drown him before anyone could come to his rescue. “I know you’re in a strange place and you don’t know anyone, but all you have to know is that as long as I’m here, no one is going to hurt you.”

Yuuri didn’t care if he had to stay here all day and night, he could make sure this merman wasn’t harmed. With a sudden movement, the merman pushed him, and Yuuri landed on the ground, scraping his hands further but otherwise unscathed. Yuuri didn’t even care, he was on his feet in a moment, only to see the merman, shoving an injured wrist out, allowing Yuuri to see the deep cuts.

“I will drown you in this stupid pool if you try anything.” The merman warned, a show of sharp teeth that made Yuuri have no doubt. Yuuri nodded, reaching out and very gently, his fingertips just barely brushing over cold skin, as he examined the merman’s wrist.

The wounds were deep, but had healed as much as Yuuri expected. There wasn’t much they could do wrap them, but there was no need to put any healing medicine on the cuts, that was certain. Yuuri hesitantly let go fo the merman’s wrist, but didn’t step back.

“They’re not infected, which is good, they should heal up over time. Do you also have cuts on your waist?” Ther merman nodded. “Do you want to let me see?” The merman shook his head “That’s okay, as long as they don’t hurt an exceptional amount.”

The merman nodded, good arm going to wrap his arms around his waist and hiding the other wounds from view. Yuuri didn’t pry, not trying to push boundaries that were so newly formed. Instead he took a step away, picking up many different food items from the collection that had amassed. He started showing them to the merman, trying to find out which one piqued his interest. 

“Victor.” The merman suddenly spoke up, reaching forward and taking what looked like kelp from Yuuri’s hands.

“What?” Yuuri was so caught up in trying to figure out what to do next, he didn’t understand.

“My name.” The merman said slowly. “Is Victor.”

“Oh.” Yuuri said softly, his cheeks flushing. “Of course. It’s nice to meet you, Victor.”

Victor stared at him, not eating just yet, but allowing the food to sit close to him on the edge of the tank. Yuuri prattled about in the place, trying to figure out what to do, and what the next step should be. All the while, bright blue eyes watched him move, not interrupting once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, please comment below! It means a lot to me.
> 
> Also, don't forget to follow my [tumblr](oilux.tumblr.com) for more updates!


	3. Photograph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks! Enjoy the chapter!

“Where’s Victor?” Yakov crossed his arms, looking at Yuri carefully. There was a moment where Yuri sent a glare, but Yakov had seen too many of them to truly be affected by them, and the glare ended. Not that Yuri’s glares ever truly ended, his glares had a tendency to be a resting feature on his face, never really leaving. 

“How am I supposed to know?” Yuri asked, his tail flicking irritably. Yakov stared at him, not saying anything at the moment, but there was an accusation in his stare.

“It’s been three days. He can’t expect to be my successor if he isn’t here.” Yakov sighed. Victor was responsible for most of the worry lines on his face, and he knew it. It was exhausting, that young merman.

“He’s probably out exploring, he hates being cooped up inside.” Yuri muttered, flicking his tail again. When Yakov looked closer at it, there was a small hermit crab being bounced around. 

“Yura, leave the poor crab alone. What has he done to you?” Yakov wished he had a cure for the headache that was currently beating away at his skull. Yuri glared again at him, but then allowed the poor hermit crab to scuttle away to whatever hermit crabs did in their life. 

“Don’t take it out on me because you don’t know where Victor is.” Yuri muttered. He rolled over, resting his head on his hand. “He’s just spacing out somewhere, he’s fine.”

“Go out and find him then, you don’t seem worried at all.” Yakov glared, but at this point it was just from how tired these two made him. Victor and Yuri were like two annoying children that Yakov could never get rid of.

“What? That’s not fair!” Yuri lamented, throwing his hands up. “Victor goes running off and I’m the one who has to find him? He’s older than me!”

“Well, congrats, part of growing up is getting more responsibilities.” Yakov said. “He’s not even that much older than you, he’s got what, fifty years on you?”

“Not the point!” Yuri got up, pouting as he crossed his arms. His dark green tail twisting to accommodate the currents. “Why even go looking for him? I’ll go out and then in two days he’ll be back, safe and sound.”

“This isn’t an option, Yura.” Yakov said, finality in his voice. “Go out and find Victor, and don’t come back here until you do!”

Yuri bit back the scathing retort on his tongue, instead throwing his hands in the air, along with a not very kind gesture, before swimming furiously away. The tunnels leading out of Yakov’s home were intricate, but with the practiced ease, Yuri quickly found himself in the open ocean, fish surrounding him as they went about their own business. 

“Stupid Victor, running off.” Yuri muttered, gesturing vaguely with his hands. “Stupid everything.”

“Did your talk go well?” Otabek must have been waiting, because he was swimming next to Yuri, his arms crossed over his chest. His own black tail almost perfectly blended in with the dark ocean floor. When Yuri didn’t reply, Otabek chuckled. “That well?”

“He’s such a jerk! Victor goes missing and now I have to go find him? How is that fair? I have things I need to do!” Yuri stopped swimming, turning to glare at Otabek. “And you’re laughing!”

“I am not.” He was a little bit, but tried to hide it. “It’s just Victor, you can find him in an hour.”

“That’s not the point. He always comes back, why do we have to go and find him?” Yuri complained. “We could be searching for hours!”

“We?” Otabek laughed. “Where was it decided that I would be joining you?” 

Yuri glared at him, arms still crossed across his chest. There was a brief moment as they stared at each other, but then Otabek laughed more and Yuri’s anger faded into a pout. 

“Fine, fine, where should we start looking?” Otabek gently nudged Yuri’s side, slightly in front of them. With a sigh, Yuri started swimming again, not waiting to see if Otabek was coming along. 

“Victor always likes to go out this way, don’t really know what he even likes about it, but whatever.” Yuri muttered. “You don’t have to come along, idiot.”

“Yuri, I want to come along.” Otabek said, keeping a steady pace next to Yuri. “Lead the way.”

Yuri grunted, glancing at Otabek for a moment before he changed course direction, leading Otabek a different way. Otabek changed course as well, following along easily and not complaining one bit. Though complaining wasn’t really Otabek’s thing.

“You don’t have to be worried, you know.” Otabek said, speaking up. Yuri glanced at him, but said nothing. “We’ll find him.”

“I’m not worried.” Yuri said, having to uncross his arms for balance. “Not worried at all.”

* * *

Victor sighed in relief as they finally moved him from one tank, the small one that barely gave him enough room to stretch comfortably, to a larger one. It had taken a day for them to set up the new tank, making it acceptable to host him, but it was well worth it for Victor to sink below the surface of the water and fully stretch out. He inhaled deeply, his gills stung at the feeling of chemicals, but Victor ignored it.

Yuuri had so far been the only one who had actually approached him like he wasn’t some science experiment. Victor had allowed only Yuuri to get close to him, allowed Yuuri to bring him food, do anything. 

The moments when Yuuri left were the worst. The other humans really only respected boundaries when Yuuri was around to usher them away, and a couple of them were close to losing fingers because of their insistent need to touch him. They obviously had no idea what the implications were of that, as humans seemed to be a very touchy bunch of creatures.

A knock sounded, barely heard over the pump of the water filtering in and out of the tank. It was something Yuuri had learned very quickly, that Victor couldn’t hear him calling out if he was below the water line. He looked up, but didn’t rise just yet, content to stay under the water for a moment longer.

Diving down, he winced as the action pulled heavily on strained muscles. As much as he hated it, it was a good thing he was here, where he could stay safe. Being confined to a small area was a form of torture, but he wouldn’t be able to swim for very long. Already, it took too much pain and effort to swim from the bottom of the tank to the surface.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt to swim like that?” Yuuri leaned over the edge of the tank, glasses slipping down his nose. It wouldn’t be the first time that they had fallen off and into the water. 

“You’re like a parent.” Victor said, reaching up and taking Yuuri’s glasses and putting them over his own. “These are terrible, why do you wear them?”

“Because I can’t see without them.” Yuuri explained. “My eyes don’t like me, so having the little bits of glass in front of them helps me to see clearly. Can I have them back now, Victor?”

Victor pouted, taking them off his face and slipping them back into Yuuri’s waiting hands. Yuuri took them gratefully, blinking to readjust his vision when they were back in their proper place. Victor instead came forward a little, his face close enough to Yuuri’s that the human blinked, but didn’t pull back.

“Humans are so strange.” Victor shook his head. “You seem to be the strangest one of all.”

“Is that an insult?” Yuuri asked, lower lip sticking out in a pout. Victor smirked a little, and laughed when Yuuri’s pout only grew.

“No, you’re just different from the humans who are here.” Victor explained. He swam a bit closer, his body pressed against the edge of the tank, and Yuuri finally pulled back a step. “Very different.”

“Okay then.” Yuuri’s cheeks coated in a tinge of red, a soft blush that Victor thought complimented his personality well. “Anyways, it’ll be good exercise for you to be here, you can stretch and swim more, but just be sure not to strain yourself, if you tear a muscle you might need surgery-”

“Yuuri!” A voice cut off, a very excited man coming forward. He wasn’t someone that Victor recognized, and as such, he fell back into the water a bit more, not completely disappearing but out of reach of the new human. “Oh my god, is that him?”

“Hi Phichit, yes, it is.” Yuuri nodded, pushing the human back when he got too close to Victor. “He’s a little shy.”

“He was really close to you though.” Phichit teased, and that red blush across Yuuri’s features spread more. “Introduce me!”

“You’re so needy.” Yuuri whined. “Phichit, this is Victor. Victor, this is Phichit, I promise he won’t hurt you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you!” Phichit stuck his hand out, and Victor hissed, throwing himself back into the water and a further distance away. Yuuri was already pulling his friend back, but Victor refused to come close.

“He doesn’t mean anything, Victor, it’s how we say hello.” Yuuri explained. He, at least, was smart enough to not try to physically bring Victor back close. “He’s my friend, he’s not going to hurt you.”

Victor didn’t say anything. He would be like the other humans, the ones who found him, who pulled his scales out of his flesh without a care and tried to cut his hair. With a last suspicious look sent towards Phichit’s way, Victor allowed himself to disappear back underneath the surface of the water.

“He’s really cautious around new people. Luckily he didn’t scream at you, that’s not a fun thing when he decides to do that.” Yuuri explained to Phichit. “I don’t think that the other people who work here, or the ones who found him, were particularly nice to him.”

“He screams?” Phichit leaned over the edge of the tank, until Yuuri pulled him back. “What?”

“Do you want to make him more uncomfortable?” Yuuri asked. “No one really seems to care how he feels, or what’s wrong with him.”

“So he talks to you?” Phichit asked instead. “He seemed to really like you.”

“I’m sure he’ll like you once he gets to know you.” Yuuri argued. “I mean he didn’t just suddenly start liking me.” 

“Yuuri, you’ve been here a day, he does seem to like you.” Phichit argued. “I knew this would be perfect for you, it’s been so long since you looked that happy!”

“Oh, shut up Phichit.” Yuuri said with a sigh. “It’s just weird, you know? Didn’t think that this would be where I was, watching after a merman.”

“Oh, stop it, you love it.” Phichit lightly batted his arm. “Seriously, what have you learned? Anything interesting?”

“Besides the fact that his name is Victor, not much.” Yuuri confessed. “His injures are deep, but they just need time to heal. He doesn’t trust us, eats mainly kelp, and he doesn’t like being touched, at all. So far I think that one of the interns is still on a vacation from when Victor screamed at her.”

“Seriously? Scary.” Phichit went back to leaning over the water, but not as far as before. Yuuri merely leaned against the side, content to let Victor have his time alone until he was ready to come back.

“I don’t think his first couple interactions with us were good, so I don’t want to push him. I’ve been thinking about asking them to let me stay here overnight just to make sure nothing happens. I don’t trust that the people who work here leave him alone.” Yuuri ran a hand through his hair, sighing. 

“Yuuri, don’t push yourself too hard. Besides, it won’t be long before he’s well enough to go back into the ocean right?” Phichit laid a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Oh my god, you only have a limited time, we should take a selfie.”

“I swear you’re completely addicted to social media.” Yuuri laughed, Phichit capturing the photo before Yuuri could truly protest. Phichit always had a knack for shooting photos at just the right time. 

“I’m going to gain so many followers from this, everyone’s still talking about the merman.” Phichit posted it before Yuuri could protest. “I don’t have a location on, don’t worry.”

“That’s not the point, Phichit.” Yuuri glanced at the photo, fighting back a smile. “Did you tag me in it?”

“Of course!” Phichit beamed. “I’ll have to get a picture of you and Victor together soon.”

In the photo that Phichit had posted to Instagram, there was a smiling Yuuri and Phichit, along with a merman with silver hair, curiously looking at them in the background, trying to act uninterested. Within an hour, the photo had blown up across all media outlets. 


	4. Something in the water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

“So then he tried to kiss me, well not for the first time but he just came at me with his tongue sticking out and I thought I was going to  _ barf  _ it was so gross.” Phichit waved his hands, getting a soft laugh from Yuuri. “You're coming to his next party, when you're there he focuses more on you than me.”

“That's not true.” Yuuri argued. “You just drink more and get distracted easier.”

“No way, he's been all over you since you got drunk and brought out the stripper pole.”

“Phichit!”

The two friends dissolved into laughter, while Victor watched. Phichit had been better once he learned where the boundaries were, allowing Victor to set them to be comfortable. Victor still liked Yuuri the best, and Yuuri seemed to know it, always making sure he was the one handling what happened with Victor. 

“The picture of us is all over the news, by the way. Phichit you really need to be careful, what if someone gets the wrong idea and tries to steal Victor?” Yuuri nervously ran his fingernail over his napkin, which Victor came forward and stole. It was fascinating to see what human objects could last in water, and Victor had learned that most of them did not survive in the water. 

“Victor, I was using that.” Yuuri whined, only to be splashed with water. “Victor!”

“Did you show Victor the picture?” Phichit asked, pulling out his phone. Victor allowed the napkin to slip from his grasp, it floated in the water and had become uninteresting to him as it was. 

“No, I didn't.” Yuuri said, elbowing Phichit in the side. “Just because you're obsessed with photos doesn't mean the rest of the world is.”

“You're so cruel!” Phichit dramatically clutched his side where Yuuri had nudged him. “The pain! Oh, the pain!”

Another dramatic gasp, and Phichit collapsed on the ground, using his last dying breath to take a selfie of himself. Yuuri ignored him, going back to finishing up his small lunch. Victor leaned over the side of his tank to stare at the human. 

“You humans die so easily.” He noted. “Are you all such fragile creatures? Even jellyfish last longer than you.”

“He's faking.” Yuuri nudged Phichit with his foot, eliciting a groan. “Get up you faker.”

“I can't, I'm dead.” Phichit said from the ground. “And also quite fabulous.”

Yuuri pointedly ignored the comment, getting up to throw away his trash and fish the napkin still floating in Victor’s tank. He leaned precariously over the edge, fingertips just barely managing to brush the fringes of it until Victor popped up in front of him, pushing the napkin into his hands. 

“Thanks.” Yuuri mumbled, his cheeks heating for some reason. Victor nodded, diving down to the small collection of items he had amassed through his little bits of theft. 

There was a watch, which came from one of the other interns when they had gotten too close. They had quickly learned that unless they kept a safe distance away, they ran the risk of being screamed at, or they would have something stolen from them. Victor also had a pair of glasses, small ones that Yuuri said humans wore for reading, a square of some sort (the human had been very upset when Victor had taken it under the water, but let him keep it), and a small piece of shiny silver. It was always good for merkind to have silver, or anything that shone, to braid into their hair. The more they had braided into their hair, the more of a status symbol they had. Victor missed his silver and gold accessories. 

What a strange little community. Victor didn't understand humans, and he was close to stopping. He kept the piece of silver in his hand, pushing himself off the floor of the tank and towards the surface. Yuuri and Phichit were still talking, Phichit no longer lying on the ground but lying on the small bench while Yuuri did actual work. 

“Phichit, can you go and get one of the workers to help me with this? It'll be difficult with just me.” Yuuri turned, a small clipboard in his hands. Just like the first time they met, Yuuri stumbled over nothing, barely managing to catch himself from falling on his face. How it was that humans managed to walk on land confused Victor, and Yuuri just seemed to be exceptionally bad at it. 

Victor leaned against the wall of the tank, rolling the small bit of silver between his fingers. Yakov would be so upset to hear that Victor was actually enjoying his time up here, well, some of the time up here. He only really enjoyed where he was when Yuuri was with him. If he could find a way to make the human stay with him constantly, Victor thought his life would be perfect. 

His mind flooded him with imagines of Yuuri in the water with him, seeing his home. Yuuri wasn't graceful on land, but Victor knew without a doubt that Yuuri would be perfect in the water. He could show Yuuri the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, he could show Yuuri where he grew up, and the deep sea trenches where creatures would only come out when he called for them-

“Victor? Are you listening to me?” Yuuri crossed his arms, pouting slightly. Victor blinked, but then smiled. When Yuuri was truly upset, there was no talking at all, Victor had learned. 

“Sorry, Yuuri.” Victor didn't really apologize, he had no remorse for daydreaming of what could be. Yuuri only sighed, probably not wanting to start an argument. 

“I was asking how your cuts were. Do they hurt?” Yuuri didn't move to touch, not until Victor offered the appendage. “I really don't want them to get infected.”

“I know, you've said that every day.” Victor laughed, and Yuuri’s cheeks heated in a blush. That color was wonderful on Yuuri, Victor thought. 

Yuuri pulled back, going to meet the intern who finally came back with Phichit. Victor only watched, finally moving to twist the silver into his hair. It wasn't as pretty as what he had at home, but it would do for the moment.

* * *

_ 9,782 likes _

**_phichit.chu_ ** _ there's something here, maybe our newest resident wants to be a part of our world? #victorthemerman #love? #whenyuuriseesivepostedthisimdead _

Blowing up across social media and the news, was one of the first clear pictures of Victor, leaning against the edge of his tank, looking out at something. When one looked to the left of the photo, there was one Yuuri, who was staring with a frown down at his clipboard. 

All in all, it took five minutes of the photo being posted for Yuuri to turn off his phone so people would stop trying to get ahold of him for interviews.

* * *

“This is so stupid.” Yuri groaned, not for the first time. They should have found Victor, or at least something telling them where he disappeared to. Yet there was nothing, not a coral reef out of place or anything disturbed. It was almost eerie, or at least it would have been if Yuri just wasn't so annoyed. 

“We should go back, he might have returned in the time we've spent looking for him.” Otabek reasoned, and damn if Yuri had anything to argue with. They were tired, they were hungry, and at this point it was doing more harm than good than to be out searching. 

“Fine.” Yuri stubbornly crossed his arms. “He's probably back, not even caring we've been searching for him!”

It felt like a defeat all the same. They both knew that if Victor had come home, Yakov would have sent for them. At the very least a message telling them to come back home and stop searching. Otabek led the way, allowing Yuri to hold on and get a ride when the exhaustion crept up on him. 

Their society was small, but close knit. It took one glance at Yuri and Otabek to realize that Victor wasn't with them, and the disappointed faces let them know that Victor had not returned on his own. Yuri pushed away from Otabek, swimming on his own to where he slept. Rest and food were the only thing on Yuri’s mind. 

“Here.” Yuri didn't even notice Otabek had left until he was putting down food, allowing Yuri to take whatever he wanted first. 

“Thanks.” Yuri mumbled between bites of shellfish. It wasn't his favorite thing, but it was the most filling. 

It wasn't long before Yuri’s eyes drooped, and he found himself leaning against Otabek’s shoulder just to remain upright. He was absolutely  _ exhausted,  _ and Otabek must have been too, because he was leaning just as much against Yuri and already starting to snore. 

“No sight of him?” Yakov sat down next to them, tail curling underneath them. “Something bad must have happened.”

“He's probably just lost, he'll show up in a couple days.” Yuri mumbled. “He always does.”

“It's been too long. What if he’s hurt somewhere?” Yakov immediately argued. Yuri, for once, was simply too tired to argue. “You have to find him, Yura.”

“Why me? Make Georgi do it, or Mila.” Yuri managed between yawns. Any other day he would have happily stayed away to argue, but right then, it wasn't happening. “Beka and I searched all day for him.”

“This isn't a request, Yuri. Tomorrow you can go out and search for him again.” Yakov rose, graceful even in his old age. “Take Otabek with you, he keeps you from doing too many reckless things.” 

“Shut up.” Yuri mumbled. Otabek shifted to get more comfortable against him, and Yuri couldn't help but sigh happily. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they would find Victor, and then his worries would dissipate as easily as they formed. Victor was fine, he had to be. He always was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter!


	5. Scream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters.

Victor twisted in the water, ignoring the pain that sparked at his waist. It had been getting worse because of his absolute refusal to stay still, but Victor was already confined, he couldn’t stand being forced to stay in one place as well. The cuts on his wrist were healing nicely, in a couple days they would cause him no more pain. 

His hair fanned out around him as he sank to the bottom of the tank. He should braid it, but there was nothing there he could use to tie it off, and Yuuri was always staring at it, Victor didn’t want to make that stare fall somewhere else.

Victor just couldn’t get over how strange humans were. They seemed so reserved, only getting close to ones they liked. More than that, they kissed each other so much! Phichit had seem his shocked stare when two humans had pecked each other on the lips, explaining that was how they showed affection. Victor still wasn’t comfortable talking to Phichit, so when the human had asked why he was so shocked, Victor had dove into the water and only emerged when Phichit left. 

Humans could be cruel, he had learned that almost immediately. He had learned it when they had ripped scales out his flesh with a pair of ‘pliers’ as Yuuri called them (when he saw how Victor had reacted to them, the pliers had gone away and had not come out again) and when they had tried to cut his flesh with knives, until someone stopped them.

Victor shuddered-not from cold, he never felt the cold-but from fear. Yuuri left at night, and Victor was close to asking the human to stay with him or if he could go with the human. It was when Yuuri was here that the other humans would visit him, trying to get something from him. Some tried to get him to sing, some had beckoned him forward with food, but none of them had dared to come into the water with him. 

_ Tap. tap, tap. _

Victor glanced at the surface of the water, but didn’t move. If it was truly important, Yuuri would be tapping again and again, refusing to let up until Victor came to the surface. When Victor didn’t rise, the shadow that Victor assumed to be Yuuri backed off, allowing Victor his space.

It was getting late though, and Victor raised his head as he thought he might have just missed his chance to say goodbye to Yuuri for the night, or even ask him to stay. He pushed off from the floor, floating leisurely to the surface, letting out a muffled curse when he saw the lights were all out. Yuuri must have left. 

Floating on his back, Victor stared at the ceiling. He missed watching the waves flow above his head, and seeing other fish, and bothering Yura and Mila, and he missed the currents and the way they would tug at his body, urging him someplace new, to explore and discover what was still hidden in the sea. 

“Victor? Are you okay?” Yuuri’s voice cut through like the sun through the water, and Victor’s head snapped up to look at him. With a soft sound, almost a coo, Victor swam over with only a few flicks of his tail. 

“I thought you left, Yuuri.” Victor leaned his head against the edge. Yuuri must have been on the way out, there was a stack of paper under his arm and his shoulders were slumped in exhaustion. “Do you have to go?”

“There's not really a place for me to sleep here, Victor.” Yuuri chuckled, a light sound. “You always want me to stay here.”

“I don't like the nights.” Victor said honestly. When Yuuri turned to leave, Victor’s hand shot out, grasping at the cotton sleeve of Yuuri’s orange, flower print shirt. “I don't like the nights here.”

“I know.” Yuuri said softly. He didn't try to push Victor away, but he didn't truly return the touch. “I don't blame you, but I can't stay here.”

“The water is stale, and fake.” Victor muttered, like a child throwing a tantrum, but he couldn't stop. “There's hardly room to move, I hardly feel like I can breathe, I don't like the humans who come in here-”

“What?” Yuuri’s question was so sharp, defensive and concerned that Victor immediately paused. “People visit you when I'm not here? At night?”

“Not as much.” Victor eventually answered. Yuuri didn't turn away, or even seem like he wanted to leave, so Victor let go of his sleeve. “Not as much as the first nights.”

Yuuri’s brows furrowed, and Victor was struck by the thought again of how much he liked the human standing near him. Victor could tell he was thinking of a million different things, thoughts rushing between themselves as he went over the options. 

“I can stay for a night.” Yuuri eventually murmured, and Victor perked up. “Just for tonight.”

Victor let out a happy sound, one that humans would have equated to a laugh, but it was different for merkind. It was deeper in the throat, a truly happy sound that no one could could mistake as anything but. Yuuri smiled, moving closer and sitting with his back against the tank. Victor moved back, sending the water over the edge and on top of Yuuri, but only a little bit. 

“Victor!” Yuuri brushed wet bangs out of his face, looking up at the grinning merman. “That's mean.”

“Wet is a good look for you.” Victor returned, earning himself a huff. “Can't you come into the water with me?”

“I’d freeze.” Yuuri said after a moment, but he didn't completely dismiss the idea. “You should get some sleep.”

“No fun.” Victor pouted, but slid underneath the water. When he pressed himself against the wall of the tank where Yuuri was sitting, he found feel the vibrations of a laugh. 

Even as he sank down to the bottom of the tank, unable to see Yuuri through white walls, Victor was able to fall into an easy sleep, knowing the other was there. 

Yuuri tried to stretch, feeling his bones ache from the uncomfortable position on the ground. His work sat in his lap, but with no light, since he didn’t want to wake Victor up, it sat in his lap and did nothing. 

He leaned his head against the tank, trying to stave off sleep. Victor was probably sleeping away, enjoying the fact that he got Yuuri to act as a makeshift guard. Giving into the wishes of a paranoid merman probably wasn’t the best, but when he had turned to look at Victor, and saw the sadness, the fear, Yuuri couldn’t say no.

Victor had captured so much more of his attention than he originally planned. Yuuri couldn’t say what he was expecting, but it wasn’t the budding affection in his chest. Yuuri would never admit it aloud, but he liked the way Victor looked at him, he liked being the one that Victor trusted, and he didn’t want that to change. He wanted to...what did he want?

The question of what he wanted made his thoughts stutter to a stop. What did he want? It was like philosophers asking what the meaning of life was, only to realize there was no true, universal answer. What he would have said he wanted a week ago was not what he wanted right then. 

“Shhh! If you’re loud you’ll wake him up, do you want to get screamed at?” A muffled curse answered back. “Didn't think so.”

Yuuri pressed himself closer against the tank, hoping the voices wouldn't be loud enough to wake Victor. The door opened, two young girls shushing each other, flashlights in hand. They didn't see him, but they hardly looked around before they were at Victor’s tank, lightly tapping the water with their hands to urge Victor to the surface, like he was some kind of performing sea lion. 

“I don't want to be here, we should leave.” The shorter of the two mumbled, looking around. “He knows who we are, we could get fired!”

“If we get a scale or two and sell it, we won't even need jobs!” Yuuri leaned forward to hear more, their voices slurred slightly by alcohol. “When he gets close enough, grab him.” 

“That sounds like a great way to drown.” The shorter of the two muttered, but was met with no reply. “Kathy!”

“Shut up DeAnna.” Kathy slapped her hand harshly on the surface of the water. “Stupid fish.”

“What in the world are you doing?” Yuuri finally found his voice, and it came out stronger than he hoped as he stood up. The two girls backpedaled, ashamed to have been caught, like children with their hands in the cookie jar. 

“Nothing, we just wanted to see him.” The water sloshed even when they didn't touch it, a sign Victor was awake and moving. “...what're you doing here?”

“My job.” Yuuri bristled at the question. Moving forward, he urged them back and put himself between them and the tank. “You should leave, Victor needs rest.”

“Kathy, we should-”

“Wait, we’ll leave after we get a scale or something. Then we won't ever have to come back.” Kathy spoke up. “We could sell it and be rich, we won't even work here after this, you'll never see us again.”

“You won't have jobs after this either way, I'll see to that.” The anger rising in Yuuri’s chest was burning, and he did nothing to stop it. He let it wrap around him like a blanket straight out of a dryer, let it be his shield. 

“That's not fair!” DeAnna stomped her foot, bringing her glare to Kathy. “I knew this was a stupid idea.” 

“Well, you didn't have to come.” Kathy shot back, and took a small step towards Yuuri. “C’mon, he won't notice if one scale is gone, just let...me…”

Her words trailed off, just as Yuuri felt cold water splash against his back. He turned slightly, seeing pale skin before arms wrapped around his shoulders, keeping him trapped, not that Yuuri would have tried to leave anyways. Victor was colder than Yuuri expected, his skin clammy, hands clasping over Yuuri’s ears.

It was meant to guard his hearing, he realized too late, as Victor drew in a deep breath and  _ screamed,  _ a loud sound that shook Yuuri to the core. Yuuri was paralyzed, and if Victor hadn’t been holding him so tightly he would have fallen to the floor. People talked about human instincts, fight or flight, but they forgot to mention pure fear, shaking him to the core and preventing everything but breathing.

Victor’s hands must have acted as some kind of buffer, no matter how small, because the two girls in front of him reacted so much worse than he did. They collapsed to the ground as soon as Victor’s scream was heard, a terrible pallor to their skin and limbs shaking. Yuuri’s hands finally moved, shaking harshly as he grasped Victor’s arm, not trying to pull away but using the merman as a way to ground himself.

Victor said something, but it was a rush of sound, like waves crashing over jagged rocks on the shore. It was a sound Yuuri knew, in the way that he knew what the bird’s songs sounded like in the morning.

“He said leave.” Victor’s voice was a growl, when he spoke in English that time. “Now.”

The girls managed to get up, jerking like marionettes on strings, as though they were outside their own control. Victor’s arms were a vice around him, barely allowing him room to breathe much less think of pulling away. Victor wasn't going to let that happen though, and just as easily as Victor had gripped him, Victor was pulling him into the pool, not caring for the cold water. 

“V-Victor!” He tried to shout, but his voice came out a whimper as they floated. Victor made a rumble of a sound, arms rubbing up and down Yuuri’s arms in a soothing motion. 

“Shhh, they left.” He mumbled. Yuuri couldn't pull away, not just because Victor was holding him so tightly. He barely had the strength to hold onto Victor, he would never have the strength to move towards the edge of the pool and push himself out as well. 

“Just relax.” Victor mumbled, and Yuuri did just that, his body too exhausted to do anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment below!


	6. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the next chapter!

Hypothermia was an unsettling thing to go through, and it was how the crew found him when they arrived in the morning. Yuuri was brought to the hospital, his core slowly warmed up to not send his body into shock. Phichit took a lot of photos, seeming to find his stay in the hospital amusing. 

“Phichit, I really want to sleep.” Yuuri complained, shoving the pillow over his face. In the background, the television was mumbling about something, Yuuri couldn’t quite make it out. All he knew was that sleep sounded absolutely  _ lovely,  _ and for some reason he was still being denied it.

“Hey, look, it’s my photo.” Phichit propped his feet up on the hospital bed, leaning back in his chair. “Oh, that’s not good.”

“What? What isn’t good?” Yuuri peeked out from underneath the pillow, not fully removing his head. Phichit glanced at Yuuri sheepishly, shrugging slightly in answer.

“Well, remember how you told me not to do anything with those photos?” Phichit started, twiddling his thumbs. If he had his phone in hand he probably would have been fiddling with that. “I just posted  _ one  _ photo.”

“Phichit, what did you do?” Yuuri finally moved the pillow, and the words that had been muffled came in crystal clear as the reporter continued to talk.

_ “Yes, John, it seems that this is the place where the merman is being kept.”  _ She gestured to the building behind her.  _ “Already, people outside are rallying, claiming it’s cruel to keep such a creature under wraps and out of the sea, and no one has come out from the building to address the budding protesters. Earlier today we did see an ambulance drive off, but-” _

Yuuri snatched the remote attached to his bed, shutting the television off. He did not need the additional stress of this situation, while he was still trying to sleep. Yuuri threw his pillow at Phichit, forcing himself out of the bed despite how weak his body was. He was out of the danger zone, and Yuuri had more important problems to deal with.

“Yuuri, what are you doing? I thought you were going to take a nap?” Phichit threw the pillow to the floor, averting his gaze when Yuuri changed out of his hospital clothes and into the clothes he came in. They had long since dried. 

“I can’t wait here, it’s going to get worse, and Victor might have to be moved.” Yuuri coughed suddenly, but kept moving. “The good thing about hospitals in America, they can’t keep you against your will.”

“I don’t think you should be getting out of here yet.” Phichit came up, standing close enough to Yuuri that he could catch him if he fell. 

“Good input. I’m electing to ignore that.” Yuuri rolled his eyes. “Unless you have a better idea, I need to be there.”

Phichit wanted to argue, he really did. Yuuri could see it written plainly on his face, as clear as the sun shining outside. Yet he said nothing to actually stop Yuuri from leaving. They had to dodge around nurses and act casual when they couldn't hide, but it was a smooth getaway from the hospital. 

“No more social media for you.” Yuuri mumbled, out of breath and exhausted by the time they reached Phichit’s car. “I mean it this time.”

“I'm electing to ignore that.” Phichit mocked, heading down the road, away from the hospital. “You sure you don't want to go home and sleep for a little bit?”

“I'm sure, Phichit.” Yuuri pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window. 

The hum of the engine threatened to send Yuuri into sleep, but he fought valiantly against it. Mere moments later, Phichit was shaking his shoulder, urging him out of the car despite Yuuri’s protests. They had already passed through the protesters standing outside, a few of the interns acting as a guard. 

“Don't complain, I tried to take you home.” Phichit grumbled when Yuuri opened his mouth. Yuuri pouted for a moment before he continued with what he was going to say anyways. 

“I'm not going to complain.” He so was. “I was just going to say I hope Victor is alright.”

Phichit hummed, in the way that friends hum when they don't believe you but they're not willing to start an argument. Still keeping close, the two walked into the building that was a mess of disorganized, panicked people. Everyone turned to see who entered, only a couple people acknowledging them, the rest turning back to what they were doing. 

“Wait, this is perfect!” Someone, he was wearing a horrible blue tie and a black jacket, grabbed Yuuri’s shoulder and turned him away from Phichit. “You can do the press conference! Show there's nothing wrong and that we're taking very good care of it.”

“Did you just call Victor ‘it’?” Yuuri narrowed his eyes, brushing the hand from his shoulder. It fell off uselessly. 

“He's so not camera ready.” Phichit waved a hand at Yuuri’s face. “See those bags? People are going to think you're abusing your employees.”

“Technically he's not really-”

“Will everyone just be quiet for two seconds so I can think?” Yuuri ended up snapping, but the headache quickly forming thanked him as everyone fell silent. “Phichit, you go talk to reporters, because if you hadn't posted the damn thing then this wouldn't be happening. I'm going to go see Victor.”

He parted the crowd like Moses parting the sea, with ease and a confident step. He was in Victor’s room in just a minute, having to stop and take a couple breaks when his vision swam. He needed to tell someone to turn the air conditioning off, because he was absolutely freezing. 

Victor was at the bottom of his tank, curled up tightly like he had been when Yuuri first saw him. Yuuri leaned heavily on the side of the tank, vividly remembering how not long ago he was actually in the water, but that wasn't the issue here. He knocked twice on the side of the tank. The figure below twitched, Yuuri couldn't tell if Victor was looking up or not, it was hard for Yuuri to make out details. Before he could knock again, the water rippled and Victor was there. 

The merman looked like he had been put through a war, harsh bags rested under his eyes from lack of sleep, the cuts around his stomach looked red and irritated, like he had been scratching at them. Victor let out a relieved sob, hesitantly reaching out to touch Yuuri like the human would break. 

“Are you okay?” Yuuri asked, while Victor was still examining him. “I tried to get back as soon-”

Yuuri was cut off as Victor wrapped him tightly in a hug. The merman’s hair was tangled, dripping wet and sending yet another chill down Yuuri’s body, but he refused to pull away, hugging back Victor as tightly as possible. 

“I thought you were dead.” Victor mumbled, just for Yuuri to hear, the relief heavy in his voice. “I'm so happy you're okay.”

They stayed like that until Yuuri couldn't take the cold anymore, and had to pull back. Victor refused to let him go far, following him around and reaching out to grasp Yuuri’s sleeve whenever the human was close. Yuuri was absolutely sure he was never leaving again.

* * *

“That is a lot of reporters.” Phichit glanced up from his phone at the many reporters with a bit of apprehension. “I'm really the last one who should be going on camera.”

No one else volunteered for the position, leaving Phichit to sigh and scroll once more through his newsfeed. It was all about Victor, most articles speculating about how a merman existed, but some were pure slander, claiming the whole thing a hoax. Phichit ignored those articles. 

“Are you going to go out there or what?” Someone asked, a girl who looked way too young to be working with them. Phichit side eyed her, and didn't reply. 

As he walked out of the building, Phichit felt like a performer about to go on stage, the entire audience watching him. The reporters immediately honed in on him and soon they were a massive swarm all trying to get his attention first, for their own questions. Phichit took a deep breath, imagining that they were his audience, that this was his moment. 

“I'm not saying anything until you all quiet down.” They were much too loud for Phichit to be heard anyways. Almost instantly, the crowd was hushed. “Better. I'll take the first question.”

Babble erupted from the reporters again. Phichit sighed, crossing his arms and picked a reporter at random. When the blinked, the one reporter became two, a brother and sister duo. They surged forward eagerly. 

“Is it true? That you have a real merman? Is he deadly?” The woman asked first, her brother slightly edging her out of the way. 

“Why did an ambulance leave this morning? Was someone hurt because of the merman?” The brother asked, just about shoving his microphone in Phichit’s face. He pushed it away with his lips pursed in distaste. 

“We had an incident and someone needed to go to the hospital. Workplace injuries do happen.” Phichit rolled his eyes at his own sass. “Next question.”

Another reporter pushed the brother and sister duo out of the way. “Is the merman being treated well?”

“He's perfectly safe, we only mean to keep him until his injuries heal and he can swim safely again, just as we would rehabilitate anyone who was injured.” Phichit gave himself a mental pat on the back for being so professional about this. The reporter gave a sigh of relief, not pushing anymore for questions. Phichit felt his head tilt to the side as he examined the man. 

Blond hair, green eyes, a perfect television face. He was professional, but in the way that implied he would not hesitate to have fun if he wanted to. Phichit felt a wicked grin slip across his face before he forced it down. 

“Hello, reporters!” The rambling stopped immediately as Phichit clapped. “I will give exclusive details to anyone who can tell me what the merman’s name is!”

This was the brightest idea he had. Yuuri was going to be so proud of him. A lot of the reporters scanned their phones to pull up the name, but only one, the reporter with blond hair and green eyes, could think of the name quickly enough. 

“Victor.” He answered evenly, much to Phichit’s delight. And Yuuri said his plans never worked out. 

“Great! Everyone else can go home!” Phichit reached out and grabbed the reporter’s hand, dragging him out of the group. “My name is Phichit.”

“Christophe.” The man answered easily. “You can call me Chris.”

“Oh, in that case you can call me the man of your dreams.” Phichit batted his eyelashes, getting a loud laugh from Chris. “So I'll email this photo to you, and whenever things happen I'll call you to report on it.”

“You don't have to bribe me to get my number, cutie.” Chris teased, and Phichit’s cheeks colored at the flirting. Phichit took a deep breath, steeling himself so he wouldn't get too wrapped up. Chris was probably just trying to get close to him for more details. 

“You're nice, but it's harder to get me into bed than that.” Phichit pulled out his phone, getting Chris’ email and sending the most recent picture. “If you don't post about how everything’s going okay, I'll pick another reporter.”

“I don't think it'll be a lie to say he's doing fine here.” Chris eventually said, brows arching at the photo. “Who's this?”

“Yuuri Katsuki, he's the one in charge of taking care of Victor. He was in the last picture I posted.” Man, had his follower count gone up after that. Totally worth it. 

“The public is just going to eat this up.” Chris pocketed his phone, turning all his attention of Phichit. “Maybe I can hit you up later?”

“Whoa, at least buy me dinner first.” Phichit laughed. Chris laughed again, a bright sound Phichit could get used to. The flirting was something he could quickly learn to love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment below!


	7. Watching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Next month is National Novel Writing Month, and since I'm participating, there might be a lack of updates for me, I hope you understand!

_ The little merman finds a not so little love! (More information on page two) _

_ Pictured above is Katsuki Yuuri, a well renowned Marine Biologist in charge of taking care of Victor. Is there something more there than an irreplaceable friendship?  _

_ Written by Christophe Giacometti _

* * *

“Guys! If you're going to do that, you need to account for…” Yuuri prattled on about all of the safety procedures, crossing his arms over his chest. He was absolutely adorable, in Victor’s opinion, hastily making his way through people and trying his best to be in charge. Yuuri was exceptionally stubborn when he put his mind to it.

“Victor!” Phichit raced up, not stopping in time and slamming into the side of the tank. Victor jumped in surprise, but didn't swim away, curious as to what the human wanted. “Victor, Victor, Victor.”

“Phichit, why do you keep saying my name?” Victor asked, tilting his head to the side. The human beamed at the sound of his own name. “What?”

“Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend?” Phichit bounced back on his heels, radiating energy. Victor hummed at the unfamiliar word. 

“What are those?” Phichit’s face fell a little at the question, but only for a moment. “I don't think I'm going to like where this goes.”

“You're just like Yuuri!” Phichit groaned. “Like, do you have someone special? More than friend or family?” 

“Oh.” Victor drew out the vowel, having too much fun taunting Phichit who wanted his answer. “No, we merfolk are not as frivolous with our relationships like you humans are.”

“Yuuri isn't frivolous about relationships.” Phichit said, smug in the way he crossed his arm. Victor arched a brow, not trying to figure out what Phichit was implying. 

“I've seen a lot of the humans kiss here. Why do you all kiss so much?” Victor didn't understand a lot about the humans, mainly that they were so affectionate. Victor had always planned to smother the one he loved in affection, but Yuuri like the rest of the humans. He didn't seem to care for affection. 

“Kissing? It's just how we show we like each other. We only kiss family and those who were interested in romantically.” Phichit explained with a nod of his head, like a wise human despite his young age. “Don't merpeople kiss?”

Victor shook his head. “Kissing is precious. It's saved for the ones we choose to spend the rest of our lives with.” 

“Merpeople must have a stronger definition on who they love.” Phichit teased. “You don't have to worry about falling out of love.”

“Our species has small knit communities. We hardly fall out of love once we fall in love.” Victor laid his head on his arms, eyes drifting over to Yuuri, who was trying in vain to pick up a heavy box of materials. Victor wished he could go over and help. 

“Is that right?” Phichit followed his gaze. “Yuuri’s really quite blind when it comes to who likes him. A guy has to actually tell him several times that he was interested in Yuuri before Yuuri finally believed him.”

“Is he now?” Victor smiled slightly as he watched a very proud Yuuri set down a heavy piece of equipment that others had struggled with. “He is such a busy little human.” 

“He’s not really little, you know compared to you anyone would be little.” Phichit laughed, shaking his head. “Anyways, you want me to bring you anything? Something special to eat?”

“No, I’m good.” Victor couldn’t take his eyes off of Yuuri. “Why is he so cute?”

Victor heard Phichit laugh as he walked away, but the merman didn’t care one bit about that. His tail stretched out behind him, allowing him to relax and work sore muscles, and still keep an eye on Yuuri. Ever since the human had to leave after being in the water, Victor was scared something bad would happen to him. They were simply such fragile creatures, humans were.

“Victor!” Yuuri, the person his mind could only think of, was by his side, waving a hand in front of his face. “Victor, are your wounds okay? You haven’t been swimming a lot.”

“They’re fine.” Victor gave a dazzling smile, and Yuuri’s cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink that Victor always wanted to see. “Do humans not normally go in the water?”

“What?” Yuuri tilted his head to the side, like Victor had just asked a question that didn’t make sense, but Victor didn’t try to reword it. 

“When you got into the water with me, you didn’t seem to like it. No one else has tried to get into the water.” He was infinitely grateful for that, but that wasn’t the point he was trying to make. “Are humans scared of water?”

“No, no, okay.” Yuuri clapped his hands together. “I got sick because I was in the water and it was too cold for me. Us humans are sensitive to the temperature of the water. No one has gotten into your tank because they’re pretty sure you would kill them, or at least try to.”

Well, Victor couldn’t disagree with that. He hummed, pushing away from the wall and diving to the bottom of his tank. He pawed through a couple items in his collection, before rising back to the surface. It wasn’t the first gift he would have given Yuuri, but it was the best that he had.

“For you.” It was the small rectangle he had stolen from another human. Yuuri’s brows furrowed as he looked at it, shaking the rectangle so that it would get some of the water off of it.

“Is this a phone? Where did you get this?” Yuuri wiped it off on the front of his shirt.

“Took it from someone and they said I could have it. Why?” Victor leaned forward, looking at the rectangle. Did it change when it was dry? Human items were so weird. “I have better things at home.”

Strangely enough, Yuuri’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Victor knew his gift wasn't the best, but he had so few treasures, and it was only the first gift. He couldn't very well give his best items away at first, there would be nothing to build up to. 

“Do you not like it?” Victor tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but failed miserably. “I can get you something better.”

Though there would be little point. Rejecting the first courting gift was rejecting the courter themselves, and there was no recovery from that. Yet when Victor reached out to take the small rectangle, Yuuri shook his head, clutching it closer to his chest. 

“I love it, Victor.” Yuuri reassured, causing Victor’s shoulders to relax in his relief. “I just didn't expect you to give me anything.”

“It's nothing, really.” Victor felt his chest puff up in pride. Yuuri not only liked it, he  _ loved  _ it. Compliments were especially appreciated during the courting, and Victor planned on showering Yuuri with a ton of them. 

“Oh, well, um.” Yuuri seemed to struggle to find words. “Maybe I could bring you something too? Something more waterproof…”

“I would love that.” Victor instantly reassured, and Yuuri seemed to relax a little at that. “What kind of things will you bring me?”

It wasn't unheard of, for both partners to bring each other gifts, but it was unusual. Victor didn’t mind, he has established himself as the gift giver in the relationship, Yuuri probably just wasn’t aware of their customs. 

“If I told you, wouldn’t that ruin the surprise?” Yuuri asked instead, cheeks coloring that wonderful shade of pink again. “I have to go and do more work, think you can handle being on your own for a little while longer?”

“You talk to me like I’m a child.” Victor pouted, sinking slightly into the water. Yuuri started, his hands shaking frantically, guilt filling his face. 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Yuuri sputtered as Victor sank more into the water. “Victor! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Victor laughed as Yuuri finally reached out, grasping his arm and preventing him from really falling into the water.  _ Cute _ , was all he could think,  _ this human is so cute. _

* * *

Otabek was leading Yuri, showing the way further and further away from home. It was warm, the water was, making them want to sleep for longer periods of time. The climate seriously affected the merfolk, and they were quickly crossing the territory into a place they wouldn’t be welcomed in.

“He wouldn’t really have gone this far, would he?” Yuri asked, more to himself than to Otabek. Otabek shrugged, flicking sand at Yuri’s face. “Hey!”

“We don’t have a lot of places left to look.” Otabek shrugged, trying to seem casual but he was tense. “I just have a feeling.”

Yuri almost started arguing, but he was tired, and he wanted to find Victor to go home, and arguing required more energy than he actually had. He turned and swam slightly in front of Otabek, eyes flickering between items in front of them. 

There was a small settlement of rocks, an entrance to the shore, and miles of endless sea. It was ridiculous, there was no way Victor would actually go to the shore, it was ridiculously stupid. With a sigh, Yuri moved to go to the shore, Otabek barely an inch behind him. 

Yuri stayed as close to the sand as he could, until his scalp brushed the top of the water, breaching the surface. When he couldn’t avoid it any longer, He finally sucked up in a deep breath, poking his head out of the water.

It was bright, and warm, those were the first two things Yuri noticed. He looked around, but there weren’t any humans, and he relaxed a little. Otabek finally poked his head out of the water as well, urging Yuri to move forward and into the cave. 

“This is so dangerous.” Yuri mumbled, not complaining for once. “We could get caught at any second.”

“You sound like you’re going to want to do something else.” Otabek mumbled. “Any other time I would be up for that, I think you actually need to look around here.”

Pieces of rope were strewn around the floor of the cave, the water softly lapping at a couple bits. On some of the rope there was dried bits of blood, and on some there was even strands of silver hair still tangled around it. Yuri dragged himself onto the shore, feeling the sand scrape against his tail. 

“Victor must have been here.” Otabek took a strand of hair between his fingers, twisting it. It was brittle, and crackled in his hand.

“Something bad happened here.” Yuri mumbled. “We have to find Victor. He could be held prisoner by those humans!”

Otabek glanced at him, but still nodded, pulling himself on shore next to Yuri. They would find Victor, no matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment below!


	8. Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's NaNoWriMo! I've been super busy with trying to manage so much T-T, take pity on me.

_ “Country roads, take me home, to the place, where I belong! West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home, those country roads.” _

Yuuri had shown up the next day with a small, metal box that was attached to the wall and Victor was instructed not to touch unless his hands were completely dry. Victor had happily accepted the gift, being allowed to fiddle with it and figure out exactly what the small metal box did.

He pressed a couple buttons, fiddling with the knobs until suddenly, the box seemed to spring to life under his hands, making a terrible noise that almost made Victor dive back into the water. Victor pressed more buttons, anything to make the screeching stop, and when it finally did he breathed a sigh of relief.

_ “I hear her voice in the morning hour, she calls me, the radio reminds me of my home far away.’ _

Victor made a noise of delight, nearly toppling out of the tank when he realized what he was hearing. Yuuri came close to steady him, letting Victor listen to the music. It was different from siren music, there were instruments he had never heard before, all of them mixing together to make a harmony that Victor instantly loved.

“Do you like it?” Yuuri asked, wringing his hands together. It was cute to see him so nervous. Yuuri could have brought him the strangest thing and Victor would have been happy with it.

“It’s wonderful.” Victor leaned his head against his hand. The music ended, but another song started up, just as catchy and wonderful.

“I wasn’t sure how much music your society had, I thought you might like something to entertain yourself with,” Yuuri explained. He was still nervous, that much was obvious, but he was more confident.

“We have music, but not in the way you humans do. They have such interesting sounds.” Victor leaned forward, trying to get as close as he could to the music, already picking up the words. A whole new selection of songs was going to be his, as merpeople only had to listen to a song once to know the word.

“I’m really glad you like it.” Yuuri was so proud, his chest puffed up with pride as Victor was so enraptured by his gift. The only thing that made it better was the magical appearance of Phichit, who snapped a picture of the pair before leaning against the wall of the tank near Yuuri. 

“You said you were going to wait for me before you gave it to Victor!” Phichit whined, but didn’t look too upset. “So not fair, I helped you pick it out.”

“You told me to get the one that had Ariel on it.” Yuuri laughed like he told a joke, but Victor didn’t get it and ignored the comment. 

“Victor would have loved it!” Phichit argued, the biggest smile on his face. “Wouldn’t you have, Victor?”

He nudged the merman, and Victor glanced at him for a moment before nodding. Wouldn’t hurt to agree, would it? “Sure.”

“Oh my god.” Yuuri couldn’t help but laugh a little as Phichit absolutely cackled. “Shut up Phichit.”

“You love me.” Phichit wrapped his arms around Yuuri, still grinning. “You love my bad jokes, Yuuri.”

“Maybe.” Yuuri finally agreed, prying Phichit’s arms off of himself. “Okay, okay, I’m going to go and do work. Don’t get into trouble now.”

“You have so little faith in me.” Phichit pouted, but Yuuri’s reply was rightly justified. Victor turned away from the humans, reaching out to mess with the knobs until he found another song he liked, making the radio play louder than before.

_ “There’s so many wars we fought, there’s so many things we’re not, but with what we have, I promise you that we’re marching on.” _

Victor only listened to a couple lines before he was singing along, eyes shut as he enjoyed the music. Most certainly, human music was more entertaining that merfolk music, especially when it was loud, Victor could feel it echo in his chest and feel more in tune with the music. 

_ “For all of the plans we made, there isn’t a flag I’d raise.” _

Victor only knew this would be better if he could slip under the water and still hear the music, but when he tried he found that no matter how loud he turned the music up, he couldn’t hear it as clearly. He stayed as close as he could to the edge of the tank, refusing to let anyone move him, or even touch his radio.

“Victor.” Yuuri leaned close to him, snapping Victor out of the haze of music. “I’m going to leave soon, is there anything you need before I go?”

“For you to stay,” Victor replied, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. “Just for the night?”

“Is someone bothering you again?” Yuuri frowned, not picking up on what Victor was putting down. “I’m going to get you a bodyguard or something, especially with all the reporters that are still outside.”

“What are reporters?” Victor reached out to fiddle with the radio to turn the music down a little, he didn’t want to miss out on a word Yuuri said. 

“Oh, they’re people who tell us all the news, and everything that goes on in the world,” Yuuri explained, wringing his hands together. “Everyone wants to know about you, and Phichit always talking about you doesn’t help.”

“They want to know about me?” Victor was flattered. “Why do they want to know about me?”

“Victor, before you showed up, everyone was convinced your kind was a myth. We had stories, but there was no actual proof.” Yuuri looked at him, gesturing to well, all of Victor. “You just appeared, and we have all this proof now, and the proof is you.”

“Well, if humans weren’t so mean, maybe we would make ourselves known more,” Victor said shortly. “Would the reporters leave if they got to talk to me?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure,” Yuuri said sheepishly. “I don’t think it’s a very good idea, Victor, you don’t want people to crowd you.”

“It’d be worth it so we don’t almost get attacked every time we come in.” Phichit’s lower lip thrust out in a pout. “What harm could it do?”

“They could never leave us alone, paint us in a terrible light, make it seem like we’re abusing Victor, not care one bit about Victor or what might happen to him-”

“Okay, but that’s all under the assumption that you have a terrible reporter.” Phichit suddenly stood up a bit straighter, a small smirk coming over his face. “What if I got us a good one? One I know we can trust?”

“I have a very bad feeling about where you’re going with this,” Yuuri said flatly. “I guess if you know someone, we can do an interview, but how do you feel about it, Victor?”

Victor had gone back to fiddling with his radio, trying to figure out what all the buttons did. He made a noise of distress when the music shut off, but then he pressed the button again, and the music started playing once more.

“I don’t really care.” Victor glanced at the pair, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. “If it will do good, then I don’t see why not. I don’t want them hurting you.”

Any argument that was brewing on Yuuri’s lips died, his expression softening. Yuuri’s fingers drummed across his arm, trying to think over of what could go wrong. There were so many things, he would have an easier time dwelling on what could go right. 

“I guess.” Yuuri eventually said, getting a happy squeal from Phichit. “Only if you’re absolutely sure that the reporter won’t mess everything up.”

“Chris is fine. I think you’ll like him.” Phichit was already pulling out his phone, swiping his thumb over the cracked screen. “I really need to get this fixed.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t already. Last time it was broken for like ten minutes before you were calling, having everyone try to fix it.” 

“Why you gotta make fun of me, Yuuri,” Phichit whined. “Go take care of your boyfriend.”

“He isn’t my boyfriend!” A frantic glance at Victor made Yuuri breathe a sigh of relief that the merman wasn’t paying attention. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Calm down there, I’m just texting Chris.” Phichit looked up at Yuuri, his fingers not pausing in their frantic texting. “He’ll probably be here soon.”

Yuuri swept his hair from his eyes, sighing irritably. It was getting long, he needed a haircut.

* * *

“Victor.” Yuuri sang Victor’s name as he walked up to the tank. “How’re your injuries? Are they hurting?”

“The ones on my waist hurt,” Victor answered, showing his wrist easily. The cuts were almost healed, but the ones on his waist were deeper, forcing them to take longer to heal. “Are you going to put medicine on them?”

“I might have to,” Yuuri admitted, twisting Victor’s arm to see how the muscles bent. “I’m not really a doctor, so I’d have to get someone in here to look at them. I just like making sure they’re not infected.”

Victor sighed and flicked his tail. Having to deal with humans on a daily basis was exhausting already, he didn’t want to think about having to add a whole new one to the list. Phichit and Yuuri were the only two humans who didn’t stare at him like he was something strange.

“There’s so many of you humans, how do you keep track of them all?” Victor flicked his tail again, sending water rippling. 

“Not every human knows each other.” Yuuri laughed, a light, airy sound. “There are way too many people for us all to know each other.”

“Alright, presenting Victor the merman!” Phichit magically appeared, making both Victor and Yuuri jump in fright. Trailing after Phichit was a taller man, with dyed blond hair and a thin goatee. The man smiled in delight, sliding up to Victor and getting too close to comfort. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Victor the merman.” The man took Victor’s hand, pressing a kiss on the back of it before Victor could back away. He yanked his hand out of the man’s own the moment he could though.

“Phichit, who is this?” Yuuri took a step closer to Victor, not unnoticed by Victor. Victor’s hand went out to gently grasped at the edges of Yuuri’s short sleeved tee. When Yuuri felt chilled fingers running along his arm, his hand reached out to take Victor’s own.

“This is Christophe Giacometti, the reporter I was telling you about.” Phichit gestured a hand between Yuuri and Chris. “Chris, this is Yuuri, the head marine biologist who takes care of Victor, Yuuri, this is Chris, the reporter.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Chris winked at Yuuri, receiving a stare in return. “I hope I didn’t cross a line here.”

“Yuuri just gets protective of Victor, and a bit jealous.” Phichit lightly nudged his longtime friend, but Phichit’s movements were jerky, showing he wasn’t all too happy either. 

“Ah, sorry, it’s just a way of greeting others,” Chris explained. He gestured behind him, where someone had set up a camera on a tripod for Chris to record his interview. “This is just to record what happens here. Yuuri, do you want to be present for the interview?”

“Yes,” Yuuri answered immediately, but then turned to Victor, their laced hands never parting. “Do you want me to stay?”

“Please.” Victor nodded slightly. He was nervous, and he gave Chris a smile that was too thin, too small in Yuuri’s opinion. 

“Okay.” Chris took a tiny step forward. “Victor, the first thing everyone wants to know, are you safe and unharmed here?”

“Of course I am, what kind of question is that.” Victor tilted his head to the side, that small, fake smile still on his face. “What would even happen if I wasn’t?”

“I’m sure everyone would want to get you someplace where you could be happy and safe,” Chris said easily, his voice soft, genuine. Victor relaxed a little, still a bit tense around the new human but not as much as before. 

“I like it here,” Victor said easily, with a gentle squeeze to Yuuri’s hand. “They try their best to help me.”

“That’s great to hear. Though I have to ask, what happened? How did you end up injured and on the beach?” Chris didn’t seem afraid to ask the tough questions, even as they made Victor frown. 

“You don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to, Victor,” Yuuri reassured when Victor hesitated to answer. “It’s your decision.”

“I was swimming, and a net caught me.” Victor rushed the words out, like if he said them quickly then they would be easier to say. “I struggled, and the net cut into my skin. I got to shore in a cave that I hoped wouldn’t be found, but here we are.”

“So someone found you and decided to help.” Chris nodded, nervously tapping his fingers against his thigh. Besides the small twitches, he looked perfectly composed. “Are you happy here?”

It was a heavier question then Victor was expecting, and he blinked in surprise. Glancing between the humans, Phichit easily met his gaze, Chris was curious, and Yuuri refused to meet his eyes. It was a serious question, and Victor mulled it over to give Chris the answer that would be truthful. 

“Yes.” Victor eventually said, nodding slightly. “I’m happy here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment below!


	9. Swimming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri are absolutely adorable and nothing can convince me otherwise.

The television sparked to life, static electricity ghosting along the screen, as it did with age. The colors were slightly off, warped around the edges of the screen, but it was a working television, and until it broke completely there was no reason to be rid of it. Perfectly painted red nails pressed the volume button, inching the sound higher so she could hear.

_ ‘Are you happy here?’  _ The man talking wasn't much to look at, Anya was much more interested in the other one, with silver hair and a thoughtful expression. The merman glanced at the man next to him with black hair and answered the question. 

“ _ Yes.”  _

It was perfect, he was perfect. A small, fragile thing that could be so easily crushed. It was amazing that they hadn't caught a merman before, with how easily the one that was caught became docile. Victor, his name was, and Anya would have victory over him. 

She just needed to make a couple calls first.

* * *

“Goddamnit, this is the most uncomfortable thing ever.” A longer, very vulgar string of curses left Yuri’s lips as his tail split in two. Long legs stretched out in front of him, near Otabek who had changed only minutes before. The skin on his legs was tight, sensitive to the sand, irritated with every touch. Yuri groaned in discomfort, trying to stretch out the pins and needles from his legs.

“I don’t understand how humans can walk on these things.” Otabek dug his heels into the sand, wincing slightly at the pressure. “Walking is going to be a bitch. Guess the old legends were true about some things.” 

“Seriously?” Yuri dug his heels into the sand and hissed in pain at the action. It felt like knives were digging into his heels, sending sharp jabs of pain up his calves and into his thighs. “Of fucking course that would be the part that’s true.”

“We need to find Victor.” Otabek reached over, taking Yuri’s hand. Leaning on each other, they were able to rise, shakily, of course, hissing in pain the whole way. Walking on land was different than being in the sea, Yuri felt awkward and too sharp, his elbows sticking out and knees knocking together as he tried to find his balance.

“If we can’t find him, I’m blaming you completely,” Yuri muttered. 

“It won’t be long, you know how humans are, they can’t keep a secret.” Otabek laced his fingers through Yuri’s own, stepping forward. They were unsteady, ankles weak and barely able to support themselves, but with leaning on each other slightly, they managed to make their way down the beach.

* * *

Victor twirled in the water, wrapping himself in complicated patterns that wouldn't have been possible a short while ago. The first time he had done that, the wounds on his waist screamed with pain and he had to stop. Yet as he tried them again and again, the pain lessened until he could do the movements easily. Victor sighed happily and breached the surface, listening to the gentle murmur of human voices and his radio playing music. It was peaceful, a calm evening that would turn into a calm night. 

Other humans had been slowly filling out of the building, leaving for the night to come back in the morning. Victor slightly envied them, thinking of swimming deep in the ocean and going back home. Did Yakov worry about him? Did Yuri worry about him? Or did they just think that he was off swimming someplace else, exploring the deep sea in places they had never been before?

A sharp knock startled him out of his thoughts, and Victor swam to the surface where Yuuri leaned against the tank. The human looked tired, and a bit sad, but Victor couldn’t place his finger on what was wrong. 

“You’re swimming really well,” Yuuri mumbled, scratching his nail against the edge of the tank. “Won’t be long before you’re ready to go back home, huh?”

Oh. Victor grasped Yuuri’s hand, preventing the fragile nail from breaking against the metal. Yuuri wouldn’t look at him, but his jaw was set, completely set on what needed to be said. Victor sighed, trying to push back his own feelings of malcontent and sadness.

“We don’t need to talk about that right now.” Victor laced their fingers together. “Can you stay late tonight?”

“Victor, I know you’re going to have to leave-” Yuuri was cut off as Victor flicked water in his face. “Hey!”

“Stay late tonight,” Victor said firmly, refusing to talk about the subject more. “Please, Yuuri?”

Yuuri sighed, his thumb brushing over Victor’s knuckles before he nodded. Yuuri pulled away from Victor after a moment, leaving the merman leaning on the edge of the tank as other people started to file out of the room.

Victor sank below the water line. It wasn’t something he wanted to think about before, of what would happen when he left. At first, when the humans first found him, he hadn’t thought that he would be going home at all. The option to go home was delightful but sad at the same time. He wanted to go back home and swim in the sea, in water that wasn’t dead and tasted of chemicals. He wanted to see other sea creatures because as nice as the humans could be, it was lonely. 

Yet leaving where he was meant leaving Yuuri. Yuuri, who he would happily give up everything to see smile. Yuuri, who Victor wanted to adorn in all of his jewels and treasures, everything he had collected over the years, just to see how amazing Yuuri would look. Victor wanted to be in the sea, but he wanted Yuuri to come with him.

“You’ve fallen so hard,” Victor mumbled, stretching out against the bottom of the tank. Yuuri probably wasn’t even interested in him, didn’t even look twice in his direction. Phichit was encouraging, but there was only so much Victor could do when Yuuri didn’t seem interested in their courting. 

There was a soft knock, not as heavy as before, as Victor was invested in his thoughts. He pushed off from the bottom of the tank, his tail sliding for purchase and finding almost none on the slick floor. With a bit more effort, he found himself on the surface, his hair sticking to his face Yuuri leaned against the edge of the tank, arms crossed, a small smile on his face. 

“Don’t tell me that you’re ignoring me now.” Yuuri moved over, looking at something on the side of the tank. “Is the water too hot for you?”

“No, not really. It’s hard to tell what the water temperature is for me unless it’s boiling.” Victor looked to see what Yuuri could be doing but saw nothing of interest there. “Are you doing something special?”

“I’ve been keeping the water temperature higher in case you decided to drag me into the water, so that way I won’t freeze like last time.” Yuuri did something else that Victor couldn’t see and stepped back from the tank.

“Are you going to get into the water?” Victor could hardly contain his excitement, tail swishing back and forth in the water. It sparkled under the fake, fluorescent lighting, and Yuuri smiled brightly. 

“In a little bit, if you want.” Yuuri smiled, stepping back from the tank. “I want to make sure that everyone here is gone before I get in though, just in case.”

“Why?” Victor reached out, grasping Yuuri’s hand. “They’re all gone, aren’t they? I want to spend time with you, Yuuri.”

“I spend almost every moment I’m here with you.” Yuuri’s cheeks tinted pink, his free hand coming up to try to rub away the blush there. “Let me just go and get some things ready.”

“Fine.” Victor groaned, pulling back slightly and allowing Yuuri’s hand to be released. “Hurry up.”

“So impatient.” Yuuri laughed, going about doing other things as he moved away from Victor. It looked like he was doing nothing but busy work, merely setting aside paperwork looking through materials, all the things that Victor saw no real need for him to be doing at the moment when he could be coming back closer to him. 

“Yuuri.” Victor eventually whined, getting a laugh from the human. “You’re doing this to me on purpose.” 

“What? Me, do something like that? Never.” Yuuri set aside a random sheet of paper, the kind that Victor knew didn’t last in the water when he tried to swim with them. “You’re just impatient.”

“I’ll show you impatient.” Victor reached out as soon as Yuuri was close enough, grabbing his arm and pulling him closer. Yuuri let out a shocked yelp of surprise, because as soon as he was close enough. Victor continued to pull, until Yuuri toppled forward and into the tank, along with Victor.

“You,” Yuuri muttered when he surfaced, brushing wet bands out of his face, “are a jerk.”

“Wet is a good look on you.” Victor teased, coming forward and wrapping an arm around Yuuri’s waist. The human seemed to struggle a bit more in the water than Victor did, having to use more effort to stay afloat so he wouldn’t slip under, while Victor’s tail did all of the work for him. Yuuri breathed out a sound of relief, relaxing a bit more against Victor.

“Are you okay?” Victor asked, brushing wet bangs away from Victor’s forehead. “I don’t want anything to happen like last time.”

“I feel fine,” Yuuri mumbled, pulling back. “I bet you can’t catch me.”

Victor laughed as Yuuri pulled back, swimming to the opposite side of the tank. It was like the games siren mothers played with their children to build their strength. Victor easily swam after the other, his fingers just barely brushing against Yuuri’s clothes before the other was swimming away, diving underneath the water.

Victor dove underneath as well, easily skating around the other and cutting him off. He didn’t think that humans could breathe under the water, but maybe Yuuri was the exception? Victor wrapped himself around Yuuri, allowing his long tail to keep the other trapped against him with ease. 

Yuuri looked at him, surprised, smiling lightly. The way his eyes moved, the way he blinked, it was obvious he was a bit disoriented, and Victor reached out to touch the other, marveling at the soft fabric of his clothes, the way the human fit so perfectly against him.

Victor reached up, his fingers ghosting along the edges of Yuuri’s jaw as he examined the human. Such a fragile creature that had captured his attention. Victor cradled Yuuri’s face in his hands, until the human pulled back, gesturing to the surface of the water, then back at themselves. They had barely been under the water for a minute; Victor didn’t want to let him go. 

There was an old legend, Victor could remember it easily from when he was just a child. Cupping Yuuri’s face once more, Victor brought their lips together, relishing in the feel of skin against his own, the sharp gasp of Yuuri inhaling before he began to kiss back. 

When Victor pulled back, Yuuri still looked confused, and yet he still inhaled, breathing deeply of the filtered water. Victor cooed in delight, wrapping his arms tightly around Yuuri as he started chattering away. It was too quick for Yuuri to understand, but the human still nodded, trying to catch up to what was happening around him. Yuuri opened his mouth, placing a hand on his throat when no sound came out. 

“I guess humans need air to talk,” Victor mumbled, unwrapping his tail from around Yuuri and shooting towards the surface. Yuuri coughed and sputtered the moment he tried to take in air, having to readjust to a different atmosphere once more. 

“Oh my god, I thought I was going to die.” Yuuri choked out, wiping the water from his face. Victor made a small noise, a sad one, keeping them both afloat. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“Such a shame you had to come back so soon.” A new voice, an unfamiliar one, interrupted them. Victor and Yuuri both turned to the source, staring at the figure. “I’d hate to interrupt the cute little love-fest going on here.”

Yuuri opened his mouth, to say  _ what  _ Victor wasn’t actually sure of, but the figure moved, raising a gun and firing, cutting off Yuuri before the other had a chance to speak. The water rippled soundlessly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the old grindstone for NaNoWriMo I guess. Busy weekend for me!
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment below!


	10. Harshness of a Gun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaNoWriMo is killing me slowly and softly...I wonder if I'll make it to November. (Also super important please read the comments at the end of the chapter.)

Yuuri yelped, clutching closer to Victor and moving in front of the merman. Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s waist, keeping them both afloat easily. The gun was cocked once more, but another bullet wasn’t fired. The woman seemed content to hold it steady and stare at them. 

“How’d you get in?” Yuuri demanded, shocked by how steady his voice sounded even as inside he was shaking. He had never had a gun pointed at him before, and this woman seemed ready to fire at a moment's notice. Her lips turned upward into a small smirk. 

“I almost didn’t believe it, when I saw it on the news.” She came close, pressing against the tank and looking into the water. Victor backed up a bit, but they were still much too close to the woman. The tank had never felt smaller. 

“I asked you a question,” Yuuri’s voice shook as he tried to remain firm. Yuuri's nails dig into Victor’s arms, nearly drawing blood. 

“You’re not really in a position to be asking questions, are you?” The woman gestured with her gun, towards the edge of the tank. “Get out of the water.”

“Why?” Yuuri pressed himself closer to Victor. “What do you want?”

“Look, I’m the one holding the gun, aren’t I? Now are you going to get out of the pool like a good boy or is that water going to be a nice shade of pink?” The woman no longer aimed the gun at Yuuri, but at Victor. “Do mermaids bleed red like us? Let's find out.”

“No!” Yuuri let go of Victor and would have slipped under the water if it hadn’t been for Victor still holding him up. “Just give me a second.”

Victor refused to let go of Yuuri, bringing him to the edge of the tank and as far away from the woman as possible. Yuuri climbed out, shuddering as the cold floor met his bare feet. The woman pointed the gun at Yuuri, looking down at Victor. 

“Here’s how I’m going to do things. If you,” she jabbed the gun at Yuuri, “do anything, I’ll be shooting mister mermaid here. And if you,” She jabbed the gun in Victor’s direction, “do anything, it’ll be him paying for it. Understand?”

Almost in perfect sync, the two nodded, glancing at each other. Smirk growing, the woman stepped forward, a step too close to Yuuri, raising the gun. In a flash she smashed the end of it against Yuuri’s temple, watching him crumple to the ground with a pained groan. Victor surged forward, water splashing on the edge of the tank and onto the floor as he tried to get a look at Yuuri. 

The woman turned to aim the gun at Victor, who glared at her. He opened his mouth, ready to scream, do _something_ , but then the gun was once more aimed at Yuuri. Victor slowly shut his mouth, nails digging into the metal on the side of his tank. It threatened to buckle and bend under the pressure. 

“Get out of the tank.” The woman ordered, hand reaching up to flick her bangs from her face. “Or I’ll shoot him.”

Get out of the tank? It seemed like a stupid notion, a ridiculous idea. Victor had only a small idea of the damage that the gun she was holding could do, but with how Yuuri reacted, he didn’t want to see what could happen. Yuuri twitched on the ground, his hand slowly moving up to hold his head, coming away with bright red blood.

“Did you not hear me?” The woman snapped, tightening her grip on the gun. “Get out of the fucking tank.”

“Don’t hurt him.” Victor pleaded, almost sickened himself with the begging tone his voice had acquired. “I’m getting out.”

Victor braced his hands on the edge of the tank, heaving himself out of the water and shuddering at the unnatural feeling of air on his tail. Victor had hoped that it would be enough, but the woman stared at him, still pointing the gun at Yuuri. Yuuri sighed, moving his tail completely out of the water and outside the tank. It left him sitting on the edge of the tank, if he fell back he would fall back into the water.

“I’m really getting sick of you not listening.” The woman’s face pinched. “Get on the ground.”

Yuuri twisted on the ground, rolling over to look at Victor through large, glassy brown eyes. Victor glanced at the ground, before he pushed himself, landing on the ground with a hard slap of his scales meeting concrete. It was painful, and he inched over to Yuuri to check and see if the human was alright.

Their fingertips barely brushed against each other when the woman stepped between them, her phone pressed against her ear. The longer Victor was out of the water, the more uncomfortable he felt, his scales prickling and itching in a way he had never experienced before. 

“I got him. Come on in.” The woman said something in another language, glancing at Victor, looking at the uncomfortable way his face twisted. “Hurry up.”

Victor bared his teeth at her, unable to do much more than that. He felt like he had no control over the movements of his tail, and hardly any control over what he was doing with the rest of his body. 

Fingers brushed his own, slick and wet, as Yuuri grasped his hand. Victor squeezed the other's hand, pain ripping down his tail. Victor looked down, seeing his tail  _ split  _ down the middle, but he could barely stand to look at it, his eyes went back to Yuuri. Yuuri, who was looking at him with hazy eyes but concern laced in them, blood dripping from his temple and down the curves of his nose.

“Absolutely beautiful.” The woman breathed. There was another noise, something Victor couldn’t comprehend, as the pain grew worse. 

With a sharp, sudden ripping, his tail split, scales fading into soft skin, unblemished and never touched. Victor sucked in harsh breaths of air, his muscles cramping as he tried to stretch and get used to the feeling of something so different. Tears beaded in his eyes, falling down his cheeks like small crystals.

“Victor, Victor.” Yuuri cooed, trying to distract him, even as his own voice came out as a slur. “Are you okay?”

Victor nodded, the movement making his head swim. Something heavy fell on his legs and Victor flinched, not realizing he closed his eyes until he opened them and saw a thick, rather scratchy, blanket draped across his legs. The woman was standing next to two men, speaking to them in a language Victor didn’t understand. 

One of the men nodded, walking forward and put an arm around Victor’s shoulders, yanking him harshly away from Yuuri, scraping freshly formed skin against the concrete floor. Victor flinched away, scrambling to hold onto Yuuri, but the man pulled him too far away.

“Gag him.” The woman ordered, and something foul tasting was shoved immediately into his mouth, even as he was dragged to his feet. Victor protested, but nothing could be heard except muffled grunts.

“Wait…” Yuuri mumbled on the ground, but no one paid him any attention. Victor kept trying to push the other humans away, but the other one was there, grabbing his hands and forcing them behind his back.

The first step of his new feet against the ground forced pain up his leg and spine, Victor would have screamed if he had been able to. Victor crumpled, knees buckling underneath him as the only thing keeping him upright was the man holding him. They didn’t seem to care about him, binding his arms as he tried to relieve the pain that radiated from his feet with every touch of his feet against the ground. 

“Get him out of here.” The woman tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants. Victor struggled, trying to get free from the tough grips of the humans. They were relentless though, refusing to budge an inch.

“Don’t…” Yuuri spoke up, his voice cracking. “Don’t go.”

“Get him out of here.” The woman ordered again, looking down at Yuuri with a curious tilt of her head. “I’ll take care of this trash.”

Victor thrashed, struggling, but when the humans realized he wasn’t going to walk on his own he was simply picked up, carried by the two men who didn’t even seem to notice his struggling. Victor bit down on the cloth in his mouth, trying to shred it with his teeth, but it was too smooth, melding with his bite instead of being torn. 

“Calm down.” One of the men said, leading them through a winding hallway and down roads. Victor struggled the whole way, trying to get free, but the men held him with ease like he was a child that was throwing a tantrum.

The outside air was colder than Victor thought it would be, sending a chill down his spine as he still struggled. Before he could do anything, he was thrown into a metal contraption, the leather seats rubbing against his skin.

The door slammed closed against his back, sending more pain sparking down his spine. Victor could do not much other than wiggle, and one of the humans slid into the seat next to him, while the other one got into the front of the car.

“She’s taking too long.” The one at the front said, fingers drumming against the arm of the door. “We should leave.”

“Leave without her? I don’t want my ass handed to me.” The one next to Victor said, slapping his leg when he moved too much. “Stop that.”

Victor flinched and stayed still, trying to get used to the feeling of anything but water and sand on his skin. Everything was much too  _ dry,  _ his skin felt like it was itchy, and with his hands forced behind his back, he couldn’t make a move.

The other door opened, and the woman slid into the seat behind the wheel. She did something, and the car spurred to life, starting forward. Victor wished he could have done something other than squirm, and he couldn’t even do that, as soon as he did the man next to him slapped his leg again and sent more pain through him.

“Did you take care of the problem?” One of the men asked the woman as the scenery around them started to blur. The man next to Victor shoved his head down so he couldn’t see outside.

“Yeah, he’s not going to bother us anymore.” Victor could hear the smirk in her voice, and he kicked the seat.

“Knock him out.” The woman ordered. There was a flash of pain, and Victor descended into darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, unfortunately, this is going to be the last chapter for a while, as in an undetermined amount of time. I have NaNoWriMo to focus on until the end of the month, and after that, I know there are other works that I'm going to want to focus on. I'm not saying that this won't update again, it will, I'm just saying that I have no idea when I might update it again.
> 
>  
> 
> Don't forget to leave a comment below!


	11. Concrete Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! I hope you all enjoy!

He wasn’t sure how long he had laid there, on the concrete, waiting. Waiting for someone to rescue him, waiting for the cold to come and embrace him with clammy fingers, waiting for anything other than the raspy sounds of his own breathing to reach his ears. Yuuri drug his nails over the slick concrete floor again trying his best to stay awake. 

She had stared at him, waiting for the others to leave before she readied the gun once more. Yuuri pressed his cheek against the ground, eyes squeezing shut-his vision would have been too blurry anyways without his glasses to make out any details-and waited for the gunfire. It came, ringing in his ears and muffling the sound that tried to reach his ears. Pain erupted across his face, like small knives were being dragged across his cheeks and nose. 

Yuuri opened his eyes to see what happened, eyes barely opening to slits. Before him, barely a foot away from his face, was the remains of his cellphone, shattered into a million pieces. Yuuri looked up at the woman, she leveled the gun at him, but at the last moment, she pulled back and walked away, her heels clicking on the ground.

So he waited, with the glass from his phone screen in his face, his head pounding and urging him to sleep. Except he couldn’t sleep just yet, even as his mind begged him for some kind of relief and rest, Yuuri drug his nails over the concrete again and again until they splintered and broke, worn down to the nubs and bleeding. 

“Mr. Katsuki, can you hear me?” Yuuri wasn’t exactly sure when the time had changed, or when he was pulled onto a gurney and being handled by paramedics. They shone a light in eyes that made him wince and try to bat it away. They kept talking as well, trying to get his attention and refusing to leave him alone.

“Severe concussion, minimal damage to the face, surface wounds at best. There’s some glass still stuck in his skin.” One of the paramedics said. “Eyes dilate, doesn’t seem to reply to any stimuli.”

Everything was so painful, so much, that Yuuri ended up closing his eyes. The paramedics refused to stop talking, tapping at his cheeks in an effort to wake him up and keep him there. Yuuri really wanted to tell them that it didn’t matter, he had already fallen asleep once, it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

“Yuuri!” Phichit was suddenly there, almost slamming into the gurney as it was loaded into the back of the ambulance. “Oh my god, oh my god, are you okay? What happened? Yuuri-”

“Sir, we need to leave, if you’re not coming with us, step back.” The paramedic put his hand on Phichit’s chest, only to have it immediately hit away as Phichit crawled into the ambulance. Yuuri reached out to his friend, only to have his hand immediately held by the other, grasped in a tight grip.

“We’re going to Memorial Hospital, it’s only a couple minutes away. Strap in.” The paramedic said, placing straps on Yuuri’s legs and chest to keep him from rolling around as they made their way to the hospital.

“Yuuri, Yuuri, what happened?” Phichit leaned forward, as close as he could to Yuuri, still holding his friend’s hand. “What happened to Victor?”

“We need you to lean back.” The paramedic pushed Phichit back, leaning closer to examine Yuuri’s face, turning it from side to side. “Mr. Katsuki, just try to stay with us until we get to the hospital.”

Yuuri wanted to nod, but all he could do was look over at Phichit for a moment before he fell into darkness.

* * *

His entire body felt sore like someone had pushed him down a rocky terrain while laughing. All that he could hear was a steady beating, the sound of his heart and blood rushing through his ears. Yuuri felt like he was at the end of a long tunnel, a pinprick of light the only thing guiding him out, but the closer he stepped towards it, the further away it seemed to get. 

It was hours before he managed to open his eyes, wincing at the bright light that assaulted him. It caused him to turn his head, staring into the empty hallway. It seemed to be late, the only light that came in was that from the flickering fluorescent light bulbs above. 

“Yuuri, are you awake?” Phichit’s voice was soft, just soft enough to be comfortable. “Don’t move too much, the doctors are still working out the extent of the damage.”

Damage? Oh, Yuuri thought to himself as he didn’t move an inch, trying to figure out where his body had gone. It seemed to have left him alone to figure everything out. Yuuri moved slowly, shoulders lifting and falling as he used his arms to push himself up on the bed. It felt like he had moved so much, but it was still the same place. 

“The cops are here, and I don’t know what to tell them. Your parents are still flying in. They won’t be here for another three hours at least.” Phichit rambled, words falling out of his lips faster than he could keep up with them. They tumbled and fell from his lips like water from a waterfall, no care for their destination. “And Chris wanted to see you but I said no, and we were all just so  _ worried—“ _

“Phichit, please.” Yuuri tried. His voice was as dry as the desert. Water was on the small hospital table next to him, and he tried to reach for it, but it was too far away. Instantly, Phichit let go of his hand to reach for him, pouring a cup of water and pressing it to his lips. 

Each sip was that of nirvana, Phichit pulled it away too quickly, and Yuuri wanted all of it. He could barely protest as Phichit put the water down again, leaving Yuuri to stare at it in the hopes it would magically return to him and bless him with heaven once more. 

“If you drink it too quickly you’ll get sick. Plus they have an IV in you, so you’re getting better already. The doctors didn’t want you to get dehydrated because you were asleep for so long.” Phichit reached over and tugged on the IV, getting a wince from Yuuri. “Sorry.”

“How long was I asleep for?” Talking was easier since he had the water. Glancing around, his head was clearer, he could take in more details. Outside the window was a thick tree, it branches tapping against the window with every brush of the wind. Magpies sat on the branches, chirping at one another and staring into the hospital room. On the table next to his bed were a decorative assortment of get well cards and flowers. They filled his chest with warmth to look at. 

“Only a day. Feels like longer. Celestino went to go and get food.” Phichit took his friend's hand again, his face dropping when Yuuri pulled away. He didn’t push through, letting Yuuri have his space. “What happened?”

“This woman, she took Victor.” Yuuri sat up, but his head spun and his stomach rolled, he fell back with a pained groan. “My head.”

“The police are already looking for him. They have a couple leads, but I’m sure that knowing it was a woman will help.” Phichit said eagerly. “Just relax, you went through a lot.” 

“I can’t  _ relax,  _ Victor could be hurt!” Yuuri attempted to swing his legs off the bed, to make himself stand, but he felt so heavy. “She-“

“Probably wants to keep Victor healthy in case she needs to sell him.” Phichit cut him off, pressing on Yuuri’s shoulders to keep him in bed. “You can give your statement to the police, but this time you are staying in the hospital.”

“Phichit, I have to find him.” Yuuri hiccuped, tears barely beading in the corners of his eyes. He didn’t even have the strength to cry, much less sob like he wanted to. “He’s probably worried, what if he’s hurt? I need—“

“You need to rest and get your strength up. What can you even do right now? The police are looking into it.” Phichit refused to budge from his place, leaving Yuuri stranded in bed. 

“The police here don’t care! Not at all.” Yet Yuuri couldn’t deny that he was trapped in bed, unable to move. “Phichit—”

“The police want to take your statement, but besides that, you need rest.” Phichit crossed his arms, and there was no more arguing with him. 

“Fine,” Yuuri muttered, turning away from Phichit to look out the window. He could barely hear the magpies singing, calling out to one another. Victor would have loved the melody they played.

* * *

The police stayed for almost an hour, asking him all sorts of questions that didn’t seem important but apparently were. Yuuri didn’t see the point in trying to describe the gun the woman had, or what kind of phone, or anything, when they should be  _ looking for Victor  _

“I’ve told you three times already, I didn’t get a good look at the gun. Why does it even matter?” Yuuri snapped. His head was pounding, the officers seemed thick and dense, and he wanted to find Victor and sleep forever. The first officer sighed, pen still poised to write. 

“It’s important. So, was it a big gun or one that fit in the hand?” The officer had a patient voice, but her jacket was adorned with too many metals, awards that Yuuri didn’t even know what they were for. He almost forgot how much America celebrated its police officers. 

“It fit in her hand. It was black.” Yuuri rubbed his eyes to block out some of the light and ease the headache he had. A nurse came in, parting the curtain that hid them from the view of the hallway. 

“Hello, Yuuri. Are you feeling okay?” He was rather short for a nurse, but his bedside manner was impeccable. Yuuri liked his nurse a lot more than he liked the police officers. “Maybe some extra rest would be best for you.”

“I’m a little hungry,” Yuuri confessed. He hated being a bother, but his stomach was practically  _ screaming  _ at him to eat something. The nurse, Yuuri thought his name was Jason, nodded, hands on his hips. 

“Sure, why don’t you officers come back later to ask your questions. Visiting hours are over anyways.” Jason waved them towards the door. 

“We really need to ask a few more questions.” The police officer buckled down, refusing to budge an inch. Jason almost laughed at her, but a chuckle escaped him. 

“Unfortunately Mr. Katsuki probably doesn’t have a good memory of what happened, and you pressuring him doesn’t help at all. Come back tomorrow when he’s recovered a bit more.” The nurse ushered them out of the room, pulling the curtain once more over to block them from Yuuri. He could hear irritated mumbling from the other side, but they didn’t try to come back in. 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll find Victor,” Jason reassured. Phichit nodded eagerly as well, full of energy despite his haggard appearance. 

“Yeah, everyone knows about him now! It’s all they’re talking about on the news.” Phichit looked down at his phone, grimacing as he looked at it. “I have three percent battery left so I can’t show you.”

“It’s fine.” Yuuri waved his friend off. He was too tired to read news articles anyways. “Will you wake me when they bring food or if we get any news?”

“You can count on me!” Phichit gave Yuuri a salute, nothing but smiles. Yuuri smiled as well, his own smile much weaker, and fell back into sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a really rough two weeks, please leave a comment below? It'd mean the world to me.


	12. Gorgeous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sacamine is here! I work at it, it's so much fun!

“He is as beautiful as you describe him.”

Victor had been placed in a dark room, someplace where light never came in no matter how long he waited. He couldn’t even see his hand an inch away from his face. It was worse than being in the light and exposed. In the light, he knew where he ended, where everything was. In the all-encompassing darkness, he knew not where he began or where he ended.

They had put him in a tub of sorts, something just barely filled with enough water for him to keep his tail and immobile. The only time that the door opened and Victor saw any light was when someone came to bring him food, or when someone came in to look at him.

The last time that someone had been there, they had handed him something inedible and a cup of something clear that looked like water but tasted of fire. Anya, as he had learned her name was, hardly ever saw him. When he had first been dropped in the tub, she had stayed with him close to an hour, reaching out and touching his tail despite the way he hissed and tried to claw at her. She merely stared at him like he was the muck found on the bottom of a rock. Like he was nothing. 

“Isn’t he? We merely have to wait for the heat to die down before we sell him.”

Victor hadn’t realized anyone entered the room, they didn’t turn the lights on as they did. Their voices were nothing but a murmur, a quiet whisper that Victor could barely hear. Maybe it was the darkness. He was starting to blame it for everything.

“So calm. Did you guys give him something?” One of them reached out to touch his tail, Victor didn’t even have the strength to try to get away from them.

“Nah, he’s pretty calm now that he’s in there.” The person brushed a hand over his face, Victor flinched at the feeling. “Just like a loyal dog.”

Laughter, it echoed around Victor until he was nothing but the sound, and then they left. It must have been dark outside, wherever they went, because there was no bright flash of light that made his eyes water. Victor turned on his side, tail flopping uselessly against the side of the tank. He could still hear their laughter, as his dry tongue peeking from between his lips to try to wet his lips, but it was no use. The split in his lip flared with pain, a bead of blood crawling past his chin.

Wait. He would wait. That’s all he could do.

* * *

“Seriously, I hate hospitals.” Yuuri sat up in bed, stretching out his sore limbs. Being stuck there was making him antsy, he wanted something to do, like go and find Victor.

“You’re just upset because you want to go and find Victor.” Phichit didn’t look up from his phone. “Seriously, do you think you can find him quicker than the police?”

“I could at least help, do something. I don’t know.” Yuuri sighed, rubbing his head. “He could be dead and I just let her take him.”

“You saved your own life.” Phichit soothed, scrolling through his phone. “If you really want to help, think of it rationally. If you just stole a giant mermaid, what would you do with him? Why did you steal him?”

“I wouldn’t  _ steal  _ Victor.” Yuuri snapped. Phichit made a face at him. 

“Then pretend you would. Why would someone steal the first mermaid ever discovered.” Phichit put his phone down, the lock screen showing a picture of him and Yuuri squished together for a selfie. 

“They could keep him, like a pet,” Yuuri muttered in disgust. Victor was his own person, not a pet to play with. “Sell him, ask for a ransom, I don’t know!”

“I don’t ever think I’ve seen you so worked up about something.” Phichit shook his head slowly. “Yuuri, working yourself into a fervor  won’t bring Victor back any sooner.”

“I know, I just feel so useless sitting here waiting to be discharged.” Yuuri stared down at his hands. His nails were torn and chipped, ragged and sensitive from when he had dragged them over concrete again and again. 

“I know, it’s okay,” Phichit said. “I can ask Chris to look online and see if he knows any black market websites where they might be trying to sell Victor. The police here haven’t gotten a ransom note yet.”

“Do you think Celestino will help?” Yuuri asked, glancing around like his mentor would magically appear. Phichit chuckled a little. 

“Yeah, he’s coming now to give you a ride back home.” Phichit picked up his phone again, never to go without it. “He’s probably fine, Yuuri.”

Yuuri nodded, throat tightening unexpectedly. Victor was probably fine. He was too valuable to really be hurt. Yet as he sat there when the nurse finally came in and let them go, Yuuri’s mind reminded him that there were less than kind people in the world.

* * *

_ [heartbreaker-xoxo has joined the chat] _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: still coming over to see me? _

_ evilwitch: yes I’ll be over at about two _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: wrong chat _

_ evilwitch: T-T _

_ [heartbreaker-xoxo has left the chat] _

_ [heartbreaker-xoxo has joined the chat] _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: still coming over today? _

_ user1210: whats the highest offer _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: 1.5 mil _

_ user1210: I can beat that _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: cash only, unmarked  _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: when cash is verified you get him _

_ user1210: fine _

_ user1210: ill give you five mil _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: you have to do better than that  _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: I’m talking to someone else right now who is coming over  _

_ user1210: bullshit _

_ user1210: youre lucky youre getting anything for him _

_ user1210: everyones looking for him _

_ heartbreaker-xoxo: are you willing to take that risk? _

_ user1210: ill be there in an hour  _

_ [user1210 has left the chat] _

_ [heartbreaker-xoxo has left the chat] _

* * *

Someone had a mop when Yuuri first arrived back at the marine center. They dragged red tinted water over the spot where Yuuri had laid for hours, in a rhythmic back and forth motion, hypnotizing him on the moment of his arrival. 

The cold seeped into his chest despite the warm temperature of the room, spreading like fingers fanning over his heart and demanding to be felt. Yuuri sucked in a harsh breath of air, trying to ease the tension that fell on his shoulders, but it stayed instead.

“They’re cleaning it up,” Phichit said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to come back later?”

The worker splashed water on the ground, spreading out the pink tint and lifting a little more of the stain out of the ground. Yuuri shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the sight and fully facing his friend. 

“I’m fine.” Yuuri said. The words even sounded weak to himself. He cleared his throat and tried again, this time firmer. “I’m fine.”

“It’s okay if you can’t.” Phichit looked tired. Exhausted in the way that came from restless nights of little to no sleep. “No one is going to think less of you.”

Yuuri scoffed, shaking his head and pulling away from his friend. He just didn’t understand, and Yuuri didn’t know how to explain it. It was like there was something sitting in his heart, screaming and demanding he did something wrong and that he fix it, and Yuuri couldn’t ignore it.

More water falling on the ground broke Yuuri out of his thoughts. The stain of his blood had hardly lifted out of the ground, only more pink tinted water spreading, it was close to touching his shoes, Yuuri jumped back before it could.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you how to clean?” Yuuri snapped before he could help himself. “Either do it right or get someone competent!”

The janitor looked at him in surprise, and anger instantly faded in Yuuri’s heart to be replaced with shame. The janitor looked down at what he was doing, and Yuuri hoped the stain would magically disappear so that he wouldn’t have to look at it and his shame could cease. Once more, the man poured a little more water onto the ground and started mopping.

“Yuuri.” Phichit hissed his name like a curse. “He’s done nothing to you.”

“I know that.” Yuuri returned, just as quietly. “I didn’t mean-”

“That’s it.” Phichit physically turned Yuuri towards the door. “As your friend, I am banning you from here.”

“What?” Yuuri was so startled, he couldn’t even dig his heels into the ground to stop his friend. They made it halfway through the marine center before they stopped at Yuuri’s insistence. “I can’t leave!”

Phichit scoffed. “You need rest, and Yuuri I love you, but what are you going to be able to do?” Phichit looked sad, like what he was saying was hurting him, but really Yuuri was the one who felt sharp jabs of betrayal piercing his heart with every word. 

“I can do  _ something.”  _ Yuuri tried, but even he scoffed at the idea of it. “Don’t-”

“Go home and rest!” Phichit demanded. Yuuri fell mum at the declaration. “I don’t want to hurt you, but you need rest.”

Yuuri felt himself being escorted out of the building, and into a car. He wasn’t really aware what was going on until he was back at home, lying on his bed and about to fall asleep. With a fierce amount of determination, he cast off his blanket, standing up and heading back out.

If Phichit wouldn’t help him, Yuuri would find Victor by himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment below! They really help motivate me to get the next chapter out.


	13. Browsing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, moving the plot along a bit more. Enjoy!

Yuuri took one step out of his apartment, ignoring the headache that was pounding in the center of his forehead, breathed in the cold air of winter, determined that he would find Victor with or without any help that anyone offered. Yuuri didn’t care if he had to go through a thousand different areas, go down a million dark alleys, as long as he found Victor.

He took his second step before he realized that he had absolutely no idea where to start looking. 

Yuuri sighed, turning back into his apartment. Okay, so storming out with no direction in mind, no leads, no idea of where to begin, wasn’t the way he was going to find Victor. Yuuri had to think of what he knew, of what he had heard, what he could do in the moment. 

The first thing he did was turn on the television, tuning it to the first station that he came across, only to change it immediately once he noticed it was Vulpine News. It probably wasn’t going to help him, telling him secondhand information that he would be able to find online fist, but it might be helpful.

The second thing he did was find his laptop and plug it in. The computer needed to be replaced, the fans immediately whirled to life as soon as Yuuri signed in past his start screen. For the moment it was just what he needed and got him to the search engine.

“And...I have no idea where to even look.” Yuuri groaned, putting his head in his hand. The blinking of the search engine seemed to absolutely taunt him. What was he even going to do? Type in ‘illegal mermaids for sale?’ and see what popped up?

Actually, that didn’t sound like a bad idea.

After a search consisting of nothing but badly drawn pictures and terrible pieces of furniture for sale, Yuuri decided that was a very bad idea and he was acquiring a degree in marine biology, he really should have thought more into what his search would have brought.

How in the world everyone somehow managed to get their hands on drugs, or just find things in general, Yuuri had absolutely no idea. The blank search engine one more stared at him as he looked it over and considered what else he could even search for.

_ ‘sites to buy exotic pets’ _

That had to be a start, didn’t it? Yuuri felt like he was trying to sneak into a well-lit room, quite oblvious to everyone that he was there and yet somehow still making a mess. Yet no matter where he looked if he managed to look on just one website, it was one less than he had checked before.

One website down, the whole internet still to check.

* * *

“I’m worried about Yuuri.” Phichit confessed over the silence that was the after of the evening meal that Chris had made for them. Chris looked over at the other, brow arching in question for second before it fell once more. Phichit was resting his head on Chris’ shoulder, a glass of red wine held between thin fingers. 

“Why is that?” Chris asked. His cat, a white, fluffy thing by the name of Omar hopped up with the pair, meowing for attention. Phichit cooed at the animal, immediately distracted. Chris filed that away for later if Phichit got upset with him. 

“You didn’t tell me you had a kitty.” Phichit ran his fingers through soft fur, Omar purred in happiness at the attention he received. Though Omar was the kind of cat where if you merely looked at him he would start purring. Omar acted like he was the most attention-starved feline in the world, and yet Chris couldn’t think of any other animal or person he had ever spent more time with lavishing in affection. 

“Why are you worried about Yuuri?” Chris tried to bring the conversation back to where it was. Phichit looked up from petting Omar, only a glance before he was back to getting fur all over his clothes. 

“He doesn’t seem to be handling this all very good. What if he does something stupid?” Phichit scratched a little too roughly on Omar’s head, the cat let out a disgruntled meow in response and Phichit apologized softly to the cat. Omar didn’t seem to care, nuzzling Phichit’s hand to get more attention. 

“You know your friend best. Would he do something stupid?” Chris also thought that maybe their definition of the word ‘stupid’ could use a little explanation. For Chris, the thought of something stupid would be streaking naked with ‘find Victor’ painted on his chest. For Phichit, it was probably not something like that. 

Though that had been an interesting weekend. 

“Yuuri...I don’t know.” Phichit sighed. “He has a way of getting himself in over his head. I know he seems reserved but if we’re not careful he’ll be driven by his emotions. You just don’t get Yuuri. One semester of school he decided he was just going to sign up for two internships because he thought neither would accept him, and when both did he worked himself to the bone doing both instead of choosing one.”

“Sounds more indecisive than irrational.” Chris sipped his wine. It was his favorite, he would have to get another bottle soon. 

“He would literally snap at everyone who suggested he just pick one. Once Yuuri’s made his mind up to something you can’t talk him out of it.” Phichit settled back as Omar laid down in his lap. The cat was a bundle of happy purrs, delighted in the attention that he was given. 

“Why don’t we just offer to help then?” Chris swirled the wine in his glass. When it reached the edge of the glass, it was a light red color, allowing Chris to see through it into a world that was tinted in red. 

“What do you mean?” Phichit asked. 

“You’re so worried about him, just offer to help. Then when he’s all freaking out he’s got you on his side to take some of the burden off.” Chris explained. “Make sense?”

“Yeah.” Phichit nodded. “Do you even actually know anyone who can help us find Victor?” 

“I’ll ask around.” Connections in journalism were tricky at best. No one would want to talk to him if they thought that it might get them in trouble with the law. 

“Maybe we should go and check on Yuuri.” Phichit sat up a little, but Omar gave noises of complaint so he moved back to where he had been sitting. 

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Chris reassured his friend. “What’s a couple more hours? You need to relax as well.”

Phichit seemed to struggle for a minute, deciding over whether or not to stay, before he nodded and settled back down completely, relaxing against Chris. The blond topped off Phichit’s wine glass, the red liquid almost like blood.

* * *

Somehow, Yuuri found himself looking more at mermaid lore than he did actually looking for Victor. It was all so fascinating, even the stories people tried to pass off as true that Yuuri knew for a fact weren’t. 

One website he found, an old thing that if it had been a book in a library it would have been covered in dust. Instead, he was met with a tan colored website background with a comic sans look alike text in a solid block. Ads littered the bottom and top of the screen, trying to prompt him to click and buy something.

_ Congratulations! You have been chosen to receive a Dell desktop, complete with Window’s XP! _

Yuuri’s computer almost crashed at the force of that ad, but eventually, he managed to get it to diminish. It flashed annoyingly in the corner but otherwise was nothing.

_ A common thought about mermaids is that they can simply dry off and walk on land. While in a way it is true, I have found that the other half of the myth is often forgotten about. Mermaids can, in fact, dry themselves and walk on land, but returning to it is a lot harder than one would think. _

_ A mermaid can only return back to their original form when placed back into the ocean itself. Man-made lakes, or rivers, or even natural lakes, won’t do the trick, and the mermaid will find themselves stuck in a human form. _

_ Furthermore, mermaids, when they turn, are in a lot of pain. The transformation is not the easiest thing to handle, but because their bodies aren’t designed for the weight of land, every step they take hurts. I’ve often heard it described as ‘walking on knives’ that every step on the ground.  _

_ However, something not mentioned a lot is that the longer mermaids are out of the water and their natural habitat, the harder and longer it takes to turn back. The pain fades, they become accustomed to life on land, until finally, they can’t return to it. Even swimming deep into the ocean, where they once called it home, it won’t bring back their original form. _

_ There has been talk of some mermaids who willingly do this to themselves, leave the water to join us on land. The stories say that eventually the pain will fade and they forget the majesty of the sea, but those are as few and far between as stories that tell of how mermaids can’t return to the sea.  _

_ Further on, I will explain what other common myths have often been thought of as true but really aren’t… _

Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to read anymore, shutting his laptop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment below!

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below! It really motivates me to continue writing. 
> 
> Don't forget to follow my [tumblr](oilux.tumblr.com) for more updates and work!


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